“Even the German Government is now consistent in rejecting illegal immigration”, Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás declared in Berlin on Wednesday following a meeting with Head of the German Chancellery Helge Braun.

In a statement to public media, Mr. Gulyás highlighted that his negotiating partner, a politician from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, had confirmed: “Everyone who defends Europe’s external borders is a friend of Germany”.

According to the Hungarian Government, “action must be taken against all forms of illegal immigration, with regard to which the opinion of the German Government is now also consistent”, the Fidesz politician added.

“The government position in Berlin is now also that the countries of the Schengen Area must abide by their commitment to defend the EU’s external borders”, he said.

This means that “our standpoint has not changed, but our opinions are nevertheless approaching each other”, Mr. Gulyás said, stressing that by preventing illegal immigration Hungary is also protecting Germany.

In recent years, Hungarian-German political relations “have changed at least as much as the opinion of the Germans on the issue of migration”, and accordingly if we take a look at the CDU’s position today, “in several areas we can find the same priorities about which we have been talking for three years now”, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office pointed out.

On several issues, including integration and the issue of parallel societies, we are not in agreement, however, “but this is one of the reasons why we always stress that we are capable of living with positions that are different from our own”, Mr. Gulyás said.

“Every nation must decide independently whether it wishes to admit immigrants, and the Hungarian voters have made a clear decision on this issue”, he highlighted.

“Hungarian-German relations, which have a thousand-year history, are now principally profiting both countries within the economy, there are only successes within this field, in which progress can definitely be made; Hungary will be able to move forward within the fields of digitalisation and innovation thanks to its cooperation with Germany”, the Minister said.

As he explained, the “confidence index” of the Hungarian economy is higher than ever among German company directors, and BMW’s soon to be constructed new plant in Debrecen will mean the appearance of the German automotive industry’s third “top corporation” in the country.

It is also extremely favourable that the while Audi is realising development projects in the western part of the country and Daimler in central Hungary, BMW is constructing its new plant in the eastern region of the country, meaning “the German automotive industry, which operates using the highest possible level of technology, has appeared in every part of the country”, he continued.

This is a clear indication of the fact that “the German economy makes rational decisions and can see that we have a workforce that is capable of providing the highest possible technological added value”, Mr. Gergely declared.

“Furthermore, there is a fundamental goodwill towards Hungary, against which many have attempted to speak out in recent years in the German press and publically, but clearly without success”, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said.

(MTI)