On Thursday Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó had talks with the President and members of the Government of Cyprus on the migration crisis and on promoting bilateral economic relations between the two countries.
In a telephone interview from Nicosia following the talks, the minister told Hungarian news agency MTI that cooperation between the transatlantic community and Russia is needed to end the civil war in Syria as soon as possible, as without this the migration pressure on Europe will become unbearable in the future.
The Minister said that he shared the view of his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides that the later the Syrian conflict comes to an end, and the later the international community achieves results in combatting the jihadist organisation Islamic State, the more migrants will arrive in Europe. Solving the migration crisis is also extremely important for Cyprus, as the country can be reached from Syria and Lebanon with a relatively short sea journey, Mr. Szijjártó explained. He said that within a brief period of time recently three ships transporting migrants have arrived in Cyprus. He added that he also agreed with his Cypriot counterpart that we can only talk about a European-level solution to the migration crisis, when Europe is once more able to protect its external borders.
In response to a question, Mr. Szijjártó said that Hungary recognises only one country on the island – the Republic of Cyprus – and that once certain requirements are met, Nicosia will not pose any hindrance to energising the relationship between Europe and Turkey.
Speaking about bilateral relations, Mr. Szijjártó said that a new chapter in cooperation could be opened after the economic challenges which have affected the two countries over the past couple of years. To this end, the Minister held talks with leaders of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and highlighted the fact that a credit facility of 20 million dollars has been opened at Eximbank for the enhancement of Hungarian-Cypriot intercorporate cooperation. He also said that Hungary sees an opportunity to strengthen economic ties through the export of premium quality food products and various machine parts.
Mr. Szijjártó added that the exploitation of the recently discovered gas field in the territorial waters of Cyprus could contribute to the energy security of Hungary and other Central European countries. He pointed out that the reason this potential energy source is of particular importance is that, as a result of pressure from the European Commission, the construction of the South Stream pipeline cannot be realised and the energy security of Central Europe is still not guaranteed for the period after 2019.
During the course of the day the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade was scheduled to visit the 77 Hungarian soldiers who are serving in the UN’s Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). He assured their colleagues of Hungary’s commitment to maintaining its role in the operation.
After his visit to Cyprus, Mr. Szijjártó will travel to Athens, where he will hold talks with the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias on Friday.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
