Spontaneous, friendly and content-rich, such was according to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) his Tuesday meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Bratislava.
Fico invited Orban to an official visit of Slovakia on March 19, so as to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Agreement on Good Neighbourly Ties and Friendly Cooperation Between the Slovak Republic and Hungary.
"I'm glad that the quality of Slovak-Hungarian ties is at the highest level possible and that the Hungarian-Slovak cohabitation is no longer a political issue. We find common ground in our shared opinions not only on developments in our countries but also in the international arena," stated Fico.
"We discussed the current situation in the European Union and the first steps of new US President Donald Trump," claimed Fico, adding that he shares many similar views with Trump on issues such as migration and the family.
Prime Ministers of Hungary (left) and Slovakia (right) in Bratislava.
Fico informed Orban about the current activities of the Slovak opposition and claimed that it is preparing a 'Maidan' revolution in Slovakia, with plans to occupy government buildings and coordinate its activities with entities abroad.
"Even here, at this meeting, I underline that the EU and NATO remain our living space, but we have a right to be critical," said Fico, adding that both Bratislava and Budapest are aware of their responsibility to prepare their countries for various scenarios that might occur in the EU. Fico apprised Orban of his plan to anchor in the Slovak Constitution that only two genders exist: man and woman.
The Hungarian Prime Minister agreed that ties between Slovakia and Hungary are of high quality and accentuated that both countries are EU and NATO members. "And that's how it will remain," he said. Orban shares with Fico the view that the world is dynamically changing and believes that, with the re-election of Donald Trump as the US President, Slovakia and Hungary are becoming part of a new mainstream in the Western world. "The Western world stands on two feet - European and American - and when it comes to views on migration and the family, as articulated by the new US President, whose opinions are in alignment with ours, we're becoming part of the Western world's new mainstream ideas," said Orban.
He reiterated that Hungary has an interest in the war in Ukraine ending in the quickest way possible and lambasted what he saw as attempts to prolong the conflict as well as anti-Russian sanctions that damage the interests of EU members, including Hungary and Slovakia. "That's why we're glad Mr. Fico spoke loudly with his criticism of the shutdown of the gas transit through Ukraine and drew attention to its adverse impacts on Europe," he claimed.
Both Prime Ministers voiced support for Ukraine's EU membership, provided that Ukraine meets all the requirements first, but rejected Kiev's bid to join NATO.
According to Fico Slovakia is also finding support from Hungary in its search for gas supply options from the southern direction via the TurkStream pipeline.
"Just as we found support from our Turkish partners yesterday (January 20), we're also finding support from our Hungarian partners, who will together with us look for all possibilities so that in the future Slovakia won't be dependent only on the import of more expensive gas from the West or from other regions, but will also be able to use secure gas supplies from Russia, which of course have a different price quality and which are extremely important for us," stressed Fico.
The Slovak Premier pointed out that Slovakia still has a gas supply contract with Russia's Gazprom and currently the only way to get this gas to Central Europe is through TurkStream. If there is a possibility for Slovakia to take gas from this southern route, it would help Slovakia to diversify as well as stabilise prices, added Fico.
Orban also pointed to the importance of the gas interconnection between Slovakia and Hungary, which was built in the past. "If you don't get gas from Ukraine, you'll get gas through Hungary or from the West at very high prices. That is, Hungary now has a higher responsibility towards Slovakia and will fulfil its obligations. I confirmed this to the prime minister that we see this responsibility and we'll fulfil it," stressed the Hungarian premier, adding that this could involve an increase in gas supply capacity by about one billion cubic metres.
Source: TASR
