Speaking in Bucharest on Wednesday, President Katalin Novák said Hungary and Romania aim to strengthen the European Union and boost its influence.
Following talks with her Romanian counterpart Klaus Johannis, the president said Hungary and Romania are ready to work together to boost Europe. The presidents touched on Romania’s plans to join the EU’s Schengen zone, the situation of Hungarians living in Romania, aid for Ukrainian refugees and energy dependence. “I trust the pragmatic, good and modern relations between Romania and Hungary,” President Novák said. It has been 12 years since the last official visit of a Hungarian head of state to Romania, she noted. Regarding energy dependency, Novák said Hungary, a landlocked country, was counting on Romania in its work to wean itself from Russian energy resources and boost energy diversification. The president said Hungary’s access to the EU funds it is entitled to would be a powerful tool in that fight, among others. Poland and Hungary should both receive all the funding they are entitled to, as a tool to increase energy independence, she added. Speaking of the war in Ukraine, Novák noted that Hungary has already accepted some 900,000 refugees from that country. Aid work continues in both Romania and Hungary, she added. Protecting the rights of Hungarian minorities in Romania is another joint aim of the two countries, Novák said, welcoming that the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) is part of the Romanian government.
Photo credit: MTI