Hungarian and Slovenian presidents Katalin Novák and Borut Pahor told a joint press conference after talks in Ljubljana that Europe must be united in its response to the war in Ukraine. President Novák noted that her meeting with Pahor this week was her second since taking office earlier this year and that her visit to Slovenia was her first official trip to a neighboring country. Novák praised Hungary and Slovenia’s developing economic ties, highlighting their increasingly close cooperation in infrastructure development.
Slovenia’s Prekmurje (Muravidek) and Hungary’s Rabavidek regions on the border are functioning more and more like a joint economic area, Novák said, noting the two governments have earmarked an annual 5 million euros each for a five-year economic development plan for the region. The president also highlighted bilateral cooperation in the areas of education, culture, heritage protection and science.
Novák thanked Slovenia for their treatment of their Hungarian minorities. “This becomes even more important in a time of war,” she said. Hungarians in Slovenia can live peacefully, preserving their traditions and their mother tongue, and can contribute to Slovenia’s development without having to give up their Hungarian identity, she said, adding that this was also true of Slovenes living in Hungary.
As regards the war in Ukraine, Novák said Europe needed to remain united in its response to the conflict. It should, however, examine the consequences of its decisions before taking them, she added. Europe must make decisions that primarily hurt Russia, she said, adding that the war had also resulted in challenges that affect the entire region, such as the energy situation, price rises, inflation and growing migration pressure. Managing these challenges requires stability, which requires resources she said, adding that Hungary also needed access to the European Union funds it was entitled to. Meanwhile, Novák expressed Hungary’s support for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, saying that granting candidate country status to Bosnia and Herzegovina and speeding up Serbia’s accession process was in Europe’s fundamental interest.
Photo credit: MTI