Hungary-Slovakia
On Thursday, President Tamás Sulyok received his Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini at the Castle in Budapest.
“Slovakia will not take part in any attempt to boycott the Hungarian Council Presidency,” Peter Pellegrini said at the joint press conference of the heads of state following their talks. The Slovak government will actively participate and support Hungarian concerns.
Pellegrini: Dialogue is a good thing
“I don’t think that anyone should be punished for wanting to start a dialogue,” the Slovakian said, rejecting the Commission President’s call for a boycott. He thanked Hungary for its commitment to continue to ensure the protection of Slovakia’s airspace until the end of 2025. Economically, the two neighbours will become even “closer” as skilled workers help each other overcome bottlenecks in the labour market. Slovakia is also offering its experience and know-how in nuclear energy. With regard to the Visegrád Group (V4), there is agreement that this is a viable project. “We should present a united front on all issues on which there is agreement,” suggested Pellegrini.
Better perceive interests
“We need to deepen our dialogue even further in order to be able to represent our national interests and those arising from our strategic partnership at regional and European level,” said Tamás Sulyok. He asked his guest to support the Hungarian Council Presidency’s concerns about stopping illegal migration, strengthening EU defence policy and putting farmers at the centre of EU agricultural policy. Budapest and Bratislava are in favour of EU enlargement to include the Western Balkans, and both want to strengthen the V4 group.
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