Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has thanked Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini for his country’s help in border protection and for Bratislava's support of Hungary.
Following a meeting in Parliament on Tuesday, the prime minister described his talks with his Slovak counterpart as a “meeting of two successful countries in a successful region”.
Pellegrini said the Slovak government plans to continue building good relations with Hungary because that is in the interest of Slovakia’s citizens, its economy and the region.
PM Orbán said Slovak-Hungarian cooperation and the Visegrád Group partnership contribute to the success of a common Europe. He added that the V4 is no longer an alliance of poor countries but composed of countries whose economies are characterized by “dynamism, financial discipline and great plans”.
The prime minister expressed his thanks on behalf of Hungary for Slovakia’s help in border protection and for Bratislava standing in support of Hungary “in the midst of a great international storm”.
Commenting on bilateral relations, the prime minister said that after linking the gas pipelines of the two countries, work has now started to connect their electricity grids.
Pelligrini said the V4 countries have made many difficult decisions and their economies are booming, so they have every right to make proposals to the EU on policy issues instead of merely observing them passively.
Hungary had an important role as the president of the V4 group last year, Pellegrini said. The group has faced “many trials” and helped each other efficiently, he added.
Pellegrini said the V4's stance on migration has turned out to be correct and the approach “they wanted to impose on us from western Europe does not work,” he added.
"The V4’s stance is unified and unchanging on migration, an issue Slovakia intends to focus on during its Visegrád presidency," Pellegrini said.