“There is no closer and more effective cooperation in the European Union than the cooperation between the countries of Central Europe, the V4”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Friday in the Parliament Building.
In his speech at the conference of Visegrád Group (V4) Speakers of Parliament and parliamentary committees, the Minister stressed: “The V4 has a voice that is heard throughout Europe and beyond, and has become an important factor in shaping European political processes”.
According to Mr. Szijjártó, the V4 is playing a major role in protecting Christian values. “There are stupendous attacks going on against Christian traditions, culture and identity; many would like to do away with these”, he explained. “This is something we cannot allow, because we know what Christianity gave us, and what it means to cling to our traditions and our heritage”, he added.
“The V4 has become a ‘brand’, and when the Prime Ministers of the Visegrád Group countries meet, the whole European political elite and press pays attention”, the Minister explained.
With regard to economic issues, Mr. Szijjártó said that today, trade flow between Germany and the V4 is 55 percent higher than between Germany and France. “The axis of European economic operations is shifting to here, and the countries of Central Europe are becoming the economic hinterland of modern German industry, which provides the backbone of the European economy”, he said.
“The goal set at the beginning of Hungary’s Presidency of the V4, that Visegrád Group cooperation should become global, must be taken seriously. This is a market of 65 million people in which economic growth is higher than the European average”, he pointed out, adding: “The governments of the V4 are basing their economic policies on common sense and rationality, and believe in low taxes”.
“Central Europe has become the engine of European growth, and investors from outside Europe are increasingly viewing this region as a starting point for their expansion into Europe”, the Foreign Minister noted.
Mr. Szijjártó said that in his opinion it has been proven on numerous occasions that the Visegrád Group is right with relation to the most important issues that affect the future of Europe. “The V4 has been stressing for years that the Western Balkans must be integrated into the European Union, because enlargement is not a burden, but a good response to the challenges we face”, he stated.
The Minister also pointed out that according to the draft of the UN migration package, the right to migration is a fundamental human right, and illegally crossing a border is not a crime, but an administrative issue. “The UN’s basic assumption that migration is a good thing and is unstoppable is at odds with our experience in view of the fact that, in cooperation with the V4, Hungary has successfully stopped migration along its southern border”, he said.
(MTI)
