Hungary considers it necessary to reaffirm that peace is paramount and opposes NATO’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, Hungarian President Katalin Novák said Thursday at a joint press conference in Lisbon with her Portuguese counterpart.
“We must reaffirm that peace is paramount and we do not want NATO to get involved in war. And yet demonstrate capacity and unity and show that our Alliance is stronger than ever. NATO as a defensive alliance, ready to defend every centimeter of his But the commitment to peace is our priority”, indicated the Hungarian head of state, who was making a two-day official visit to Portugal, who was received at the Belém Palace by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
At the joint press conference, during a question and answer period, Katalin Novák referred to her recent visit to the Polish capital, Warsaw, where she participated in a meeting of the so-called Bucharest 9 group, which brings together Eastern European countries They are members of NATO, which was attended by the President of the United States, Joe Biden.
“It was a frank conversation, with bilateral meetings,” said the president, to underline the “unbreakable Hungarian-Polish friendship” and clarify that he only had an exchange of opinions with Biden, due to a very eventful day, with the leader of the House Blanca has just held a bilateral meeting “with the hosts.”
The meeting, in which NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also participated, was organized by the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and brought together the leaders of the eight remaining countries that make up the group: Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic , Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.
Referring to recent speeches by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the prospects for an end to the conflict, the Hungarian head of state acknowledged “not being able to give much hope (…) because there are no prospects.” of negotiations in the short term, and with the war “continuing” for the next few months.
“Everything must be done so that the parties sit at the negotiating table,” he stressed.
A topic that Katalin Novák had already addressed in his inaugural speech, when he condemned “the aggression” and defended “the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Katalin Novák defended the need for a ceasefire, for a just peace, but with a very specific reference to the situation of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, an idea that the Portuguese president had already underlined in his previous speech.
“Portugal and Hungary are part of different geographical conditions (…). There are 150,000 Hungarians in Transcarpathia, on Ukrainian territory, it is very important to support them in defending their rights. There is Hungarian blood to be shed,” said the Hungarian leader.
After inviting Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to visit Hungary in 2024, within the framework of the 50th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Lisbon and Budapest, Katalin Novák highlighted that she is a “mother of three children” and praised the defense of life. and family, in reference to the previous intervention of the Portuguese head of state on the demographic decline in Europe, with Portugal in the second worst position after Italy.
“Young people must take responsibility for having children. There is a shortage of children. In Hungary, marriages have doubled and divorces are decreasing,” he said.
The theme of war and conflicts then returned to his speech, stressing the necessary defense capacity of countries and the strengthening of armies. In this sense, despite somewhat evasive statements, he praised the Portuguese example.
“We see here a very good example in Portugal in terms of volunteering and reserves, here they have a reserve army of 200,000 people, we want to follow that example, we want to strengthen this component of our armed forces, there is no conscription in Hungary as well, let’s start a campaign,” he said.
On the process of ratifying the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, Katalin Novák confirmed that the Hungarian parliament meets next week “and it will be one of the first issues to be discussed.”
He also promised, and within the scope of his limited protocol powers, “to try to help to make it a quick process.”
Hungary and Turkey are the only two NATO member states that have not yet ratified their membership.
Alluding to the recent statements by senior Chinese officials, and to the important diplomatic contacts between Beijing and Moscow, Katalin Novák only wished that China would not interfere “militarily” in the conflict, opting in the final stage of questions from the media to address with some detail the state of relations with Brussels.
Funds sent to Hungary under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) remain blocked by the European Commission due to a protracted dispute with Budapest.
In this regard, the Hungarian president reproduced the recurring speech of the Hungarian government and its nationalist prime minister, Vikor Orbán, denouncing “unfair treatment” despite the continuation of the dialogue to guarantee the conditions that allow “a free path and the return of common sense”.
Katalin Novák also recalled that the economic and ecological consequences of the war in Ukraine are serious, and it is urgent to address these issues.
“The faster the funds arrive, the faster we will address these problems,” he said.
The Hungarian president was decorated by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa with the Infante D. Henrique necklace.
On her agenda in Portugal, Katalin Novák has several visits planned, including the Assembly of the Republic and the Lisbon City Council.
Source: TSF
