President Tamás Sulyok’s First Official Visit Leads to Poland

Tamás Sulyok (L) and Andrzej Duda (R)

The President of Hungary arrived in Poland on Friday for a working visit on the occasion of the Hungarian-Polish Friendship Day (March 23). At a press conference following the meeting, the Polish President thanked Tamás Sulyok for his first trip to Poland as head of state.

The press conference also covered security issues, including defense spending by NATO members. Poland and Hungary are at the forefront of NATO in terms of defense spending, said Polish President Andrzej Duda. “I can say with confidence that Poland and Hungary are on the same level, Hungary has long devoted more than two percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense, currently three percent,” said Duda. He added that Poland spends more than four percent of its GDP on defense. “It can be said that in this respect we are at the forefront of meeting NATO requirements,” he said. Referring to the “evolving global and European security situation,” in particular the war in Ukraine, he reiterated his earlier proposal to raise defense spending in NATO to three percent of GDP again, as was justified during the Cold War.

During his visit, Tamás Sulyok recalled that Polish-Hungarian friendship goes back more than a thousand years and is deeply rooted in Hungarian society. He added: “We Central and Eastern Europeans share a common destiny and common tasks, and this has bound the two countries together since the time of St. Kinga of Poland.

The Hungarian President noted that

the meeting also touched on the Three Seas Initiative, the importance of force development, minorities, and trade relations between the countries.

“We are talking about two nations that value and appreciate freedom,” said Sulyok, pointing out that “Hungarians and Poles have always known that freedom is something to be fought for, and history has always proven that only by working together can the two countries become free, equal, and rapidly developing states and nations of Europe.”

Tamás Sulyok said that the two countries also have several common interests in foreign policy. Hungary is proud of the fact that its defense spending amounts to two percent of its GDP, and the development of its armed forces is important for Hungary, as it is for Poland.

National minorities also link the two countries, and since there is a Polish minority community in Kaposvár, he has invited President Duda to celebrate Hungarian-Polish Friendship Day in Kaposvár next year.

Sulyok stressed that both sides are open to dialogue and cooperation, which is important for bringing different positions closer together. He also noted that Poland was Hungary’s third largest trading partner in 2023, which is a significant factor in the relationship between the two countries. Relations between the two countries’ legislatures and parliaments are also intense, he added.

On the Three Seas Initiative and the Bucharest Nine, he said that both he and Duda considered them important. Any project that promotes cohesion in Central Europe and supports economic recovery is extremely useful, concluded the Hungarian President.

 

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Sándor-palota/Érdi Róbert