Thursday, November 29th., 2018
"...The minister also said Europe should return to its Christian roots. He called it “unacceptable” that Christian symbols were being removed in certain places in western Europe..."
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, in a lecture at the University of Bonn on Monday, argued for a strong Europe composed of strong nation states.
“If there is any country that needs a strong Europe, it is definitely Hungary,” he said, noting that Hungary, located in the middle of Europe with an open economy, has a history of losing out in conflicts between east and west.
Europe, he added, faces historic challenges, so it is natural that there are debates about its future and on how to secure a strong Europe.
Whenever “someone strays from the mainstream” in the debate on the European Union’s future, it is wrong that they immediately get labelled “un-European”, he said.
Szijjarto said some wanted weak EU member states within a kind of united states of Europe. Yet strong integration between weak countries is hard to achieve, he argued, adding that Hungary believes strong member states are needed.
Szijjarto named migration among the EU’s ongoing challenges. He said migration had heightened the threat of terrorism in Europe.
When hundreds of thousands are allowed to enter the continent unchecked, certain terrorists take advantage of such a lax policy, he said. This is why migration is also a security issue, he said.
Meanwhile, he said every country should have the opportunity to provide its own solutions to its demographic challenges, and this did not necessarily have to be in the form of immigration.
Border protection is also a question of sovereignty and even the Schengen Agreement mandates the protection of Europe’s external borders, Szijjarto said.
The minister also said Europe should return to its Christian roots. He called it “unacceptable” that Christian symbols were being removed in certain places in western Europe.
"...The minister also said Europe should return to its Christian roots. He called it “unacceptable” that Christian symbols were being removed in certain places in western Europe..."
Europe should be composed of strong sovereign nation states – Hungarian Foreign Minister
MTI Fotó: Balogh Zoltán
“If there is any country that needs a strong Europe, it is definitely Hungary,” he said, noting that Hungary, located in the middle of Europe with an open economy, has a history of losing out in conflicts between east and west.
Europe, he added, faces historic challenges, so it is natural that there are debates about its future and on how to secure a strong Europe.
Whenever “someone strays from the mainstream” in the debate on the European Union’s future, it is wrong that they immediately get labelled “un-European”, he said.
Szijjarto said some wanted weak EU member states within a kind of united states of Europe. Yet strong integration between weak countries is hard to achieve, he argued, adding that Hungary believes strong member states are needed.
Szijjarto named migration among the EU’s ongoing challenges. He said migration had heightened the threat of terrorism in Europe.
When hundreds of thousands are allowed to enter the continent unchecked, certain terrorists take advantage of such a lax policy, he said. This is why migration is also a security issue, he said.
Meanwhile, he said every country should have the opportunity to provide its own solutions to its demographic challenges, and this did not necessarily have to be in the form of immigration.
Border protection is also a question of sovereignty and even the Schengen Agreement mandates the protection of Europe’s external borders, Szijjarto said.
The minister also said Europe should return to its Christian roots. He called it “unacceptable” that Christian symbols were being removed in certain places in western Europe.