Germany’s Minister of Finance, Wolfgang Schäuble, has said that not everything Hungary does in the refugee crisis is incorrect, it has been reported.
Schäuble was asked by a reporter for Hungarian television channel M1 whether he still stands by a statement he made previously, in which he said that “if we are honest, we have to acknowledge that not everything Hungary has done is incorrect” concerning the refugee crisis.
He added that Germans should focus on their tasks and try to understand their neighbors and friends instead of “criticising others all the time” because this does not serve the reunification of Europe.
Schäuble emphasized that the unification of Europe is impossible “if we criticize others every day and night”. Instead, Germans have to focus on “carrying out their tasks as well as possible," he said.
The Minister explained that during the reunification of Germany, he was responsible for relations with the Communist-ruled German Democratic Republic (GDR) as Minister of Interior in the government headed by Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
Consequently, he better understands the feelings of the inhabitants of former Eastern Bloc countries and their disenchantment with hopes connected to the falling of the Iron Curtain. While this is not in every case justified, “there is no need to criticize our neighbors and friends all the time, instead we should try to relate to them with understanding," Schäuble said.