Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the Hungarian government's strategy of economic neutrality has produced record FDI and employment, and demonstrates the error of initiatives to form blocs.
Speaking at an International Labour Organization conference in Geneva on Friday, Minister Szijjártó called out the "liberal mainstream" for trying to divide the world into blocs again along political lines. That approach, he said, had turned exclusively economic and trade matters into ideological and political issues. Hungary "firmly rejects" that approach, he added.
Hungary would miss out on potential growth opportunities in a world divided into blocs, he said. Instead, the government has adopted a policy of connectivity and international cooperation based on mutual respect, he added.
Minister Szijjártó said matters of economy and trade required a "rational, practical" approach and shouldn't be "politicised".
By adopting a policy of economic neutrality, Hungary has become a "meeting point" for companies and investments from East and West, from countries such as China and Germany, he added.