Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó held talks on tightening relations between the countries of the Visegrád Group (V4) with Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák and Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko in Bratislava on Wednesday.

Following the meetings, Mr. Szijjártó told the press that he and Mr. Lajčák had primarily discussed the challenges facing Central Europe.

“It is clear that several attacks have been launched against these countries, and will continue to be launched in future, because of migration policy, primarily on the European stage, but the reactions provided to these attacks have also proven that the Visegrád Group is stronger and more united than ever”, he said.

The Minister and Andrej Danko discussed the fact that the Speaker of Parliament is drawing up and will be putting forward a proposal relating to the Sargentini Report, with which Parliament may adopt a statement in defence of Hungary’s sovereignty.

If this happens, “the circle will have closed” with relation to the Visegrád Group, Mr Szijjártó said.

“The proposal clearly shows that if those parties and governments that are insisting on European values and on their national history and cultural traditions enter into close cooperation, they can achieve success in the debates on the future of the European Union”, the Minister said.

“The question now is whether Europe should move in a federalist direction, with relation to which ‘some have set as their goal the establishment of a kind of United States of Europe’, and whether they should move the EU forward into a post-national, post-Christian era, or whether those political forces and parties will win the day that insist on their national, religious and cultural traditions, and on the fact that Europe is a Christian continent”, he explained.

“This struggle is far from decided, and the European Parliament elections are extremely important from this perspective”, the Minister said, adding that with relation to this he an Andrej Danko had also confirmed their intent that parties which are organised on a national basis, and which regard national identity and cultural and religious traditions and heritage as important, must work in close cooperation.

(MTI)