Prime Minister Viktor Orbán thanked Robert Fico on behalf of Hungary and Hungarians for "the many bold decisions, expressions of friendship and initiatives" he had taken in the interest of the two countries’ friendship in the recent period.
"If someone had said 15 years ago that we’d be standing here talking about the two countries’ relations in this tone, most likely few would have believed this to be possible," he said.
PM Orbán said Slovakia and the Slovak people would always be able to count on Hungary, and Hungarians, too, were counting on Slovakia, given the two countries’ "numerous shared interests".
The prime minister said he considered Hungary’s ethnic Slovak community "a valuable and respectable part" of the country, vowing to do everything he could to ensure that they preserve their cultural and political identity.
Bilateral trade between the two countries exceeds 15 billion euros, which makes Slovakia Hungary's third most important trading partner, PM Orbán said.
Both are modern industrial countries, "and so it is in our interest that no tariff war should weaken our economies," he added.
PM Orbán said the talks touched on issues around peace, sovereignty and energy supplies.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, PM Orbán said: "Our task in Europe would be to welcome peace initiatives concerning the Russia-Ukraine war, as the fact alone that the US and Russia are in talks has basically eliminated the danger of escalation."
PM Orbán said he was "convinced" that the war had no solution on the battlefield, "so we Europeans, including in Brussels, should be supporting peace initiatives."