Hungary’s foreign minister has met with Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl to restore relations between the two nations.
Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told a press conference that the friendship between Austria and Hungary has been restored.
He said the two countries “are connected in thousands of ways” and economic cooperation “is extremely important”.
According to MTI, the two officials agreed that the root causes of migration must be addressed and that it was possible to protect Europe’s sea borders. Austria is Hungary’s second most important trading partner, with bilateral turnover exceeding 10 billion euros last year.
The minister said that Austrian companies represent the fourth largest investor community in Hungary, employing 75,000 people. He added that bilateral ties saw “some serious disputes” in recent years, mostly concerning migration. “But this unworthy situation has been successfully resolved” following the election of a new government in Vienna, he stressed.
The minister welcomed the current government’s focus on dialogue and friendship, leaving behind the “skirmishes” that embittered bilateral relations in the past.
Minister Szijjártó stressed that migration was a focus of the talks. Hungary considers the quota system a “disgraceful failure,” he added. Emphasis should be placed on border protection and the security of Hungarians is the top priority, he said.
“We will protect the border and maintain the right to decide who enters the country and with whom we live,” he added.
The minister called the United Nation’s migration package “outrageous,” adding that Hungary wants it rewritten and amended. Revert to our story today on Hungary's plans for the UN migration package for more information.