Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz and the chief of Hungarian diplomacy Péter Szijjártó discussed key issues on the current European agenda, specifically the future of the EU, Brexit, and the European Parliamentary elections.‎ The ministers stressed that Poland and Hungary have similar interests in the Community. 

The head of the Polish MFA drew attention specifically to the need for further EU reforms. “Poland’s agenda of EU reforms contains such points as: enhanced competitiveness, integrity of institutions and the Single Market, countering protectionism, enhancing the CSDP on the basis of complementarity with NATO, measures in line with the principle of subsidiarity‎, the EU’s activeness in both dimensions of the Neighbourhood Policy with an ambitious enlargement policy,” underscored Minister Jacek Czaputowicz at a press meeting following talks with his Hungarian counterpart.

The meeting of the chiefs of Polish and Hungarian diplomacies was also dedicated to the EU’s migration policy.‎ The ministers agreed that it is important to combat the root causes of migration while at the same time providing development and humanitarian assistance to the countries of origin and transit of migrants.  

The Polish and Hungarian foreign ministers also discussed bilateral issues, including the development of economic and cultural cooperation. They put emphasis on the high intensity of meetings not only of heads of state and government, but also at the working level, which demonstrates the excellent development of Polish-Hungarian relations.

The meeting was also dedicated to regional cooperation in such formats as  – first and foremost – the Visegrad Group, but also the Bucharest Nine (B9) or the Three Seas Initiative. In this context, the ministers agreed that its is worthwhile to continue forging closer cooperation in the area of infrastructure and transportation. During the talks, the minister also stressed Poland’s engagement in the Berlin Process. 

Ministers Czaputowicz and Szijjártó also addressed security policy, including the situation in the Middle East, also in the context of the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in this region that was held in Warsaw on 13 and 14 February. Minister Czaputowicz mentioned Poland’s active engagement in the work of the UN Security Council as its current non-permanent member. He also drew attention to the ongoing efforts by Poland to return to UN Peacekeeping Missions. Both foreign ministers announced the planned participation of Poles and Hungarians in the UNIFIL Mission in Lebanon. They said it represented another manifestation of good Polish-Hungarian cooperation.

‎The chiefs of Polish and Hungarian MFAs also agreed about the need to ensure energy security for our two countries and Europe as a whole. In this context, Minister Jacek Czaputowicz drew attention to the Polish-US agreement to supply LNG, as well as to Polish investments in a new infrastructure that allows to import gas from alternative sources, like the LNG terminal in Świnoujście, and the "Baltic Pipe" project that can enhance the region’s energy security.

Minister Jacek Czaputowicz also delivered a speech to the Hungarian ambassadors during their annual conference. “In the context of the upcoming summit in Sibiu, we should make sure that the future of the European Union belongs to its citizens, serving their interests and aspirations,” noted the chief of Polish diplomacy. In his address, the minister argued that we need a strong, democratic and effective European Union. “In order to build one like that, we need a deepened discussion with all the Member States. It will not happen by forcing one European model of state and society on us,” the head of the Polish MFA told the Hungarian diplomats.

“A democratic European Union is one that treats all Member States equally, irrespective of their size and date of accession. The core of European integration is the idea of equality of all members of the Community inscribed in the Treaty on the European Union. We cannot accept a situation in which the interests of some Member States prevail over the sensitivities and arguments of others. In other words, we cannot accept double standards,” Minister Jacek Czaputowicz argued.‎ 

“Poland advocates fully using the free movement of goods, capital, workers and services. Meanwhile instead of deepening the Single Market we see a growing temptation of protectionism. We believe this to be one of the major threats to the European project that strikes at the very idea of European integration by distorting free competition between Member States,” he added.

 

MFA Press Office 

Photo Sebastian Indra / MFA