President Katalin Novák told a meeting of the Bucharest Nine that creating and preserving peace must be made a top priority.
The president said that once there is peace in Ukraine, the country should be given support in making it a “democratic and prosperous state”. President Novák noted Hungary’s large-scale humanitarian and medical aid to Ukraine, including accommodation to people fleeing the war. “The situation has made it clear since February 24, 2022, that each country must be able to defend itself,” the president said, adding that NATO was “clearly the framework for effective cooperation”. She said it was in the participants’ fundamental interest to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, and Hungary “fully supports” those endeavours. EU members, especially those within the B9 should also enhance their own military capabilities, she added. PreNovák said she trusted that Sweden and Finland would soon become NATO members. She said US President Joe Biden’s attending the meeting offered an excellent opportunity “to again confirm our joint commitment to peace”. On another topic, she noted the importance of protecting the rights of minorities in Ukraine, and said “a country aspiring to be an EU member should do a lot in that area”.
Prior to the B9 summit, President Novák met Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw. President Novák and Morawiecki were in agreement to further strengthen the Hungarian-Polish friendship. After the talks, Novák said on Facebook that Polish-Hungarian friendship was “not only a historical slogan but a current reality”. The Polish prime minister said that he had discussed with Novák the Russia-Ukraine war, economic challenges, the energy crisis and inflation. “I am glad that our Hungarian friends understand the severity of threats we are facing in the near future,” he added.