Szijjártó calls for ‘bridge’ between V4, Central Asia

foreign affairs Visegrád Group Central Asia
Budapest, 2018. február 27. Kajrat Abdrakmanov kazah külügyminiszter, Szijjártó Péter külgazdasági és külügyminiszter és Erlan Abdildajev kirgiz külügyminiszter (b-j) a visegrádi országok (V4), valamint Kazahsztán, Kirgizisztán, Tádzsikisztán, Türkmenisztán és Üzbegisztán külügyminisztereinek találkozóján tartott sajtótájékoztatón a fõvárosi Groupama Arénában 2018. február 27-én. MTI Fotó: Koszticsák Szilárd

“A bridge should be built between the Visegrád countries and Central Asia” to facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation in terms of politics, economy, and security, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday.

Speaking after a meeting of V4 foreign ministers and their counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Szijjártó said that the two regions have similar challenges and they are similarly committed to fighting religious radicalism and terrorism. They also have similar positions concerning stemming illegal migration, the foreign minister added.

Szijjártó also noted that Central Asia has significant amounts of raw materials and cooperation offers opportunities for joint water management projects, too.

The foreign minister said the meeting was the first of its kind, but suggested that similar conferences could be held in the future. He said that an objective of Hungary’s V4 presidency was to “make it clear to the European Union that it needs external allies and friends” so that the community can “regain its due position in the world economy”.

On another subject, Szijjártó suggested that the Hungarian government should launch an information campaign concerning the United Nation’s migration package.

“The people must be warned that there is a dangerous proposal, aimed at determining migration policies at the global level,” he argued.

“The UN wants all countries to accommodate migrants on a continuous basis because migration is good and cannot be stopped; they want the (border) fence to be pulled down because it hinders immigration and that illegal border crossing should not be considered as a criminal offence,” Szijjártó insisted. Further, he said that the UN seeks recognition for the right to migrate as a fundamental human right, “whereas it is not”. The UN wants to “exert great pressure on countries that do not wish to become migrant destinations,” Szijjártó said. He added that the objectives of the migrant package are in line with the “Soros plan”.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI

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