Szijjarto: European values can be protected only by observing European rules

Budapest, November 12 (MTI) – The protection of European values demanded by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is possible only if common European rules are observed, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday.

In a statement issued in response to Renzi’s remarks published in an interview with German daily Die Welt, Szijjarto said that Hungary had made serious efforts to observe common EU regulations on migration. At the same time, European values cannot be separated from common European economic interests, he added.

“Europe can be strong in the future if common rules are observed and if common interests are enforced,” Szijjarto said.

Renzi said that “western Europeans have paid the political price of expanding to the east” and “it is not right that these countries should now dictate morals to us.” At the same time, he said the EU must cope with the challenge together.

In response to a question about how he wanted to convince people like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of his position, he said this issue does not only concern Orban and it was not about the division between right and left, shown by the Czech and Slovak Socialists having the same position as the Hungarian and Polish governments.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters