Hungarian Ambassador Zsolt Sandor in an interview with Naftemporiki, spoke in detail about bilateral relations, immigration within the Union, but also about the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which started in July and will end in December.
Sandor analyzed the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency, speaking of a period of “extraordinary circumstances and challenges,” which range from the war in Ukraine, to immigration and competitiveness. He also noted that “the EU lags behind significantly” in these issues.
The Ambassador, speaking to “N”, emphasized that “like it or not, the answers to these challenges will determine the future of the European Union.”
On the issue of immigration, Sandor, who has served as Deputy Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces and has the rank of Lieutenant General, argued that “the Hungarian government has always stressed that the key to protecting the integrity of the Schengen area lies in the strong protection of external borders. In fact, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made it clear as early as 2015: Without secure external borders, Schengen will collapse.”
Regarding the war in Ukraine and the “peace mission”, as Budapest itself had characterized it, the Hungarian Ambassador stated that “the longer the war continues, the greater the suffering of the Ukrainian people. He also referred to the predictions that it will take decades to rebuild Ukraine.”
“Prime Minister Orban’s intention is to put an end to this isolation, and in doing so, he is helping to start a peace process,” he stressed and added: “After all, since the beginning of the conflict, Hungary wants to contribute to peace.”
