FM gives thumbs up to Hungary's foreign policy

Hungary's foreign policy and business policy are on track and will stay that way, local media quoted Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto as saying on Monday.

Peter Szijjarto made the remarks at a joint meeting of Hungarian parliament's economics and foreign affairs committees on Monday which were conducting a review of his past year's work, Hungarian News Agency reported.

Hungary has had to withstand sharp criticism because of its migration policy, he said, but assured the committees that nothing had changed. Hungary continues to believe that allowing migrants into the country is not the way to respond to the challenges facing the European Union. Despite warnings that it could be isolated, Szijjarto said he had met with 90 foreign ministers this year alone and Hungary had also gained a seat on the United Nations' Human Rights Council.

Centering foreign policy on business efforts proved to be a good idea, he said, since 2015 was a record year for exports, producing a foreign trade surplus and was also excellent for commercial turnover. At this point it looks like 2016 will be even better, he added.

Szijjarto pointed to Brexit and the United States' presidential election to illustrate how the world was changing. Brexit, he said, was an outcome of the EU's current policy and not a cause. The idea that the weaker the member states are, the stronger the EU will be, was proven wrong, he said.

Asked about contacts with Russia, Szijjarto called Hungarian-Russian cooperation transparent and high level. He called it "dilettantism" to question the need for political dialogue, arguing that no Central European country can allow itself to forego ongoing contacts with Moscow. Hungary is unquestionably committed to the west, but it is important to sustain business ties with the east, too, he said.

Regarding Ukraine, he underlined the need to defend the territorial integrity of its neighbor and noted that many Hungarians lived there. Endit