The new Hungarian Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, declared before the start of the V4 summit that the goal of the meeting is to lift Central European cooperation from the historical lows to which it fell under Viktor Orbán’s government. Magyar openly admitted the ongoing disagreements with Slovakia regarding the issue of the Hungarian minority, but emphasized that they will not change the common history and geography of the country.
At Tuesday’s summit of the Prime Ministers of the Vyšehrad Four (V4) in Gödöllő, the question is whether it will be possible to restore Visegrad cooperation, which has reached a historic low in recent years. According to index.hu, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said this in the parliament. He added that even disagreements with, for example, Slovakia regarding the issue of the Hungarian minority there cannot be outweighed by common historical and geographical facts, informs the TASR correspondent in Budapest.
- Péter Magyar admitted disputes with Slovakia about the status of Hungarians abroad.
- Magyar emphasized that common history and geography are a permanent basis for cooperation.
- According to Magyar, central Europe without unity is becoming a toy of great power interests.
Magyar: We cannot change geography and history
Magyar said that Hungary has its disputes within the V4. According to him, there are disagreements with the Slovak government on the issue of Hungarians abroad, but the basis of cooperation has never been that everyone agrees with everyone on everything. “Its basis was that, despite different opinions, we live in a common space, we are united by a common history and a number of common interests. We cannot change geography and history,” he added.
Hungary’s interest is that the countries of Central Europe once again act together in the field of strategic investments, development of north-south infrastructure and strengthening of the competitiveness of the region, Magyar underlined.
During Orbán’s government, trust in the V4 fell to rock bottom
According to him, the countries of Central Europe can easily become “toys” of the great powers, which is why the Vyšehrad cooperation is of strategic importance even today. He recalled that during the years of Orbán’s government, trust between the V4 countries was shaken and cooperation fell to a historic low.
The aim of the V4 summit in Gödöllő is for Central Europe to reevaluate its development policy, jointly advocate for strategic investments and strengthen relations between the North and the South in the field of transport and energy, the Prime Minister emphasized.
