Hungary-US ties better than appearances, says the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee
Washington, DC (MTI) – Hungarian-US relations are better than appearances may suggest, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee said on Tuesday.
This is partly due to the value of boosting bilateral security cooperation in an increasingly unstable world, Zsolt Nemeth said after talks in Washington with his US counterpart Ed Royce and other congressmen. As head of the Hungarian delegation Nemeth and Socialist lawmaker Marta Demeter attended a conference of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Nemeth told MTI by phone that disputed issues between the two countries have not vanished but priorities have shifted. He highlighted terrorism, migration and heightened global insecurity resulting from Russia’s actions in Ukraine and Syria among the main reasons.
“Hungary and the US speak the same language” when it comes to security cooperation, he said.
Nemeth said it was a positive development that NATO has again found its raison d’etre, and accordingly Hungary can develop new forms of cooperation with the organisation. He cited the European Reassurance Initiative, which applies to European frontline countries and involves major developments and deployments. He said that further positive developments included inviting Montenegro to the organisation and NATO taking a role in the Middle East, where Hungary is present with 120 soldiers in Iraq.
Migration has been a highlighted topic at the talks and Washington has expressed sympathy in this respect, he said. It is natural for the US that a country’s sovereignty also means it has the right to decide with whom it wants to live. The protection of external borders is also very important in the US, which has therefore always expressed understanding of the Hungarian position at European Union forums, he added.
Another topic discussed in Washington, DC, was Ukraine, Nemeth said. The country has been a victim of territorial aggression and faces several open issues regarding economic, political and security reforms. Hungary fully supports Kiev’s right to decide the direction to follow in foreign policy.
Commenting on the approaching US presidential elections, Nemeth said Hungary expects the vote to result in a US that “trusts in itself” and maintains a partnership with Europe.
Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters