PM Viktor Orban said that the most important issue on the agenda is the Russia-Ukraine war, in which he will continue to stand by the unchanged Hungarian position.
„Peace not weapons should be brought to Ukraine,”
the PM stressed, adding that a ceasefire is needed and that peace negotiations should start as soon as possible, rather than a continuation of the war.
The Hungarian position is clear, he said, as the war is in our neighbourhood and because the tens of thousands of Hungarians living in Transcarpathia are in immediate danger.
„Hungary insists on NATO not changing its initial position, as the organisation is a military defense alliance which was created to protect its member states, and not to carry out military actions on the territory of other countries,”
Mr Orban said, stressing that now, at the start of the negotiations, Hungary's position is completely in line with that of NATO, as the alliance is not sending troops, weapons or training combat troops, but is trying to strengthen the defence of its own member states.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting with the heads of member states that the alliance "will issue an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO as soon as allies agree and the conditions [for accession] are met."
At the same time, Stoltenberg said that as soon as these conditions are met, the admission of Ukraine will go "smoother” than for any other member state, and most of the bureaucratic obstacles will be eliminated.
The allies also agreed to establish a NATO-Ukraine Council, which would allow for Kiev to convene NATO decision-makers in a security crisis, the secretary general said.
In an earlier Facebook post by Hungary's FM Peter Szijjarto, he stated that Sweeden's accession to NATO will be an important part of the two days of talks. Prior to the Vilnius summit, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed to the Nordic country's membership after negotiations with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, among others. The foreign minister said, Viktor Orban also discussed the issue with Erdogan and the two leaders will continue to hold talks in the future.
According to MTI, the Hungarian prime minister also held talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday, the backbone of which was the further strengthening of relations between the two countries.
The parties agreed that South Korea has been one of the biggest foreign investors in Hungary for years now, and trade relations are breaking records.
Mr Orban confirmed that Hungary is seeking to further strengthen economic relations, including in sectors such as nuclear energy and defence. He said that relations between Hungary and South Korea have deep roots, and it is therefore worth further strengthening cooperation in the humanities, education and culture, MTI writes.
