In an interview for Austrian news agency APA published on Wednesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that in his opinion the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) has been “very rational” in the debate that has developed within the European People’s Party (EPP) with relation to Fidesz.

According to the Minister, ÖVP politicians behaved in a manner that was “based on common sense” with relation to Hungary, although “this was not always identifiable during voting”, in view of the fact that the majority of the members of the EPP, and accordingly also of the ÖVP, voted in favour of launching Article 7 proceedings against Hungary. Mr. Szijjártó called Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz a “close, good friend”. He pointed out that the friendly relationship between them had developed when they were the two youngest foreign ministers in Europe. “We agreed on the issues affecting the future of Europe and mutually supported each other”, he highlighted. The Minister said that according to the Hungarian administration, the European People’s Party has “shifted significantly to the left” in recent years. He reminded the press that in March 2019 Fidesz voluntarily suspended its rights with relation to its membership of the EPP party alliance, for the period during which the accusations relating to the violation of fundamental European Union rights were being investigated. “Fidesz represents a politics that the party family also represented at the time when we joined the party family”, he emphasised. “However, in the meantime the party alliance’s line within the European Parliament has also changed as a result of the grand coalition with the social democrats”, he underlined, adding that this is something Fidesz cannot accept. He also spoke about the fact that he hopes the European People’s Party will return to Christian democratic values. “If it fails to do so, Fidesz will take the necessary action”, he declared. “We would not like to be a member of a party family that is pro-immigration and which tramples on European values”, he added. “Because Fidesz represents a Christian democratic party line that is based on national values, and is also the most successful party in Europe, and it has the politics it represents to thank for its success”, he explained. With relation to the upcoming debate on his party within the EPP, Mr. Szijjártó said: “We will be happy to take part in it, if we are given the opportunity to do so”.

On Monday, the Hungarian Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán paid a joint visit to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Christian Democratic Party (CDU) President and Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in Berlin, with relation to which Mr. Szijjártó stressed that Hungary maintains extremely close economic relations with Germany. “There are, however, major differences with relation to migration policy”, he added. “The preservation of Christian European identity must be in first place in Europe, and this requires that we also protect our borders”, he emphasised. He also spoke about the fact that the idea of the establishment of a joint European migration policy has failed: “No nation can be stripped of the right to decide for itself who it wants to live with and to whom it would like to allow entry into its country”. With relation to the debate on the European Union’s upcoming multiannual financial framework for the period 2021-2027, Mr. Szijjártó said that in his opinion the previous agreement could be used as a template. “Hungary demands that the economic performance of the countries of Central Europe are also acknowledged in the next financial framework, particularly in view of the fact that these countries are currently achieving the highest rates of economic growth in the EU”, he stated. Concerning relations between Hungary and Austria, the Minister said: “Austria is an important ally, a good friend, the third largest investor in Hungary and the country’s second largest trade partner”. “We have a similar approach to migration despite the fact that there are differences of opinion, including with relation to the issue of Austrian border controls”, he added. “The most important thing is that we continue to mutually respect each other’s viewpoints”, Mr. Szijjártó underlined.

(MTI)