Ladies and Gentlemen, Prime Minister, Dear Robert,
It is no exaggeration to say that today we are living through the best ever period in Slovak–Hungarian relations. This is thanks to many courageous decisions. On behalf of Hungary and the Hungarian people, I would like to thank Prime Minister Robert Fico for his friendship, and for the many initiatives and courageous decisions he has taken in recent times in the interest of friendship between our two countries. We are grateful for this, Dear Robert! If fifteen years ago someone had said that we would be standing here and talking about relations between our two countries in this tone and in this way, it is likely that few would have believed it would be possible. Here I would like to reiterate that Slovakia and the Slovaks can always count on Hungary, and we Hungarians can also count on Slovakia, because our two countries have many shared interests. Here I would like to confirm that in Hungary we consider the Slovak national groups and community living in our country to be a highly valuable and esteemed part of Hungary, and we will do everything we can to preserve their identity, including their cultural – and even political – identity. I would like to inform you that the trade between our two countries exceeds 15 billion euros, making Slovakia the third most important partner for Hungary. Both our countries are modern industrial states. Slovakia is a modern industrial country, and so it is in our joint interest that the tariff war should not weaken our economies.
We discussed three issues in detail: peace, sovereignty and energy. I would like to reaffirm what your Prime Minister, Prime Minister Robert Fico, said: that in Europe our task should be to welcome the US peace initiatives, because the very fact that there are Russo–American negotiations has already created a situation where the risk of escalation has essentially disappeared. When there are Russo–American negotiations, the risk of military escalation is reduced to a low level. I am convinced that there is no solution to the war on the battlefield, which is why I believe that we Europeans should also support peace initiatives in Brussels. We have been cooperating in recent years. Robert has recalled many instances of this, including in relation to stopping illegal migration. I am convinced that no one may limit the sovereignty of Member States in their migration policies, and no one may decide for Slovaks or Hungarians who we have to live with as a result of migration. Who we live with must be a decision for us alone, a decision that arises from national sovereignty. And on behalf of Hungary, I can say that we are a migrant-free country, and we certainly do not want to sacrifice the future of our children with a misguided migration policy. As far as energy supply is concerned, I strongly agree with the Prime Minister that it is regrettable that Ukraine is blocking natural gas supplies running through its territory. We do not believe that this is the way of the future, and this will make it very difficult for Ukraine to move closer to Europe. They should show much more understanding towards our countries, and should also take our economic interests into account. I would remind you that we have already increased the capacity between our two countries to 3.5 billion cubic metres, and we have now agreed to increase it by another 900 million cubic metres. And, because we are landlocked countries, we have also agreed that we should insist on our exemption from oil purchase sanctions.
Finally I would like to say a few words about bilateral cooperation. We have agreed that we will need continuous improvements in the future. I remember the spirit of our previous agreement, when we had twenty-two border crossing points. As a result of the agreement with the Prime Minister, we were able to increase this to forty. But now we also need more roads, bridges and railway lines. We are planning three new roads, three new bridges and new railway lines, and we want to renovate several old crossings. And finally I would like to confirm that it has not only been an honour to be here with you in Slovakia, but it will be an honour for Hungary if the Prime Minister accepts my official invitation to visit Budapest.
Thank you very much.