Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was among the first politicians to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory.Continue reading
The result of the U.S. presidential election has created a completely new reality, not only in Europe, but in the whole world. The old approaches have thus become invalid, and must be left behind, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest.
In a press conference held on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit, the Foreign Minister praised the initiative to establish the forum and welcomed the fact that the opening session had brought together a truly colorful range of opinions, not just the same old clichés.
We heard voices from the Turkish world, the Western Balkans, Scandinavia and a leading EU member state,”
he stressed. He went on to say that the divergence of views also proved that Europe was indeed at a crossroads, a situation that could change the rules of the game. In this context, he noted that the divergence of views on the right way forward is not a bad thing, as it shows the democratic nature of the platform.
Mr. Szijjártó described the current situation in Europe as dangerous and difficult. He also reminded that Hungary has been living in the immediate neighborhood of the war in Ukraine for a thousand days and has been paying the price for it, while it is not responsible for its outbreak.
He expressed his concern about the risk of a renewed blockade of the world, pointing out that Hungary would be severely affected, as it was in the Cold War. He said that the government was therefore more interested in connectivity and international cooperation based on trust and respect. “And this has nothing to do with ideology, nothing to do with any political theory, but everything to do with our experience,” he emphasized.
He underlined that, at the same time, the last few days have brought a whole new reality to the world. “The result of the U.S. presidential election is creating a completely new reality, not only in Europe, but in the whole world,” he added. The minister highlighted that
the old approaches simply do not work any more and that these old clichés must be left behind.
“That is why we need a strategic dialogue. And we hope that the European Council meetings starting tonight will serve as a platform for strategic dialogue rather than repeating the old clichés, which I think have been invalidated by the developments of the last few days,” the politician pointed out.
In response to a journalist’s question, Szijjártó stressed that the current U.S. administration has caused many difficulties for Hungary, for example by changing the visa waiver rules, and that their ambassador is behaving like a “political activist, an opposition leader.”
He underlined that, in contrast,
the government’s experience of Donald Trump’s presidency is completely different, and this has led to high expectations for his second term.
Péter Szijjártó said that the personal relationship and trust with the President-elect would be a good basis for developing relations.
He also expressed his conviction that relations with China will not cause friction between Budapest and Washington, nor will any other bilateral relationship. In this context, he emphasized that today, outside the EU, the two most important trade and investment partners of our country are the United States and China.
Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter