Orbán: Hungary aims to map out post-Brexit cooperation with UK

Orbán said his talks with Johnson had focused mainly on the future of Hungarian-UK relations, while also covering opportunities for cooperation between Britain and the Visegrad Group countries.

He highlighted the energy and defence industries as two “particularly promising” areas of cooperation “in the post-Brexit and post-Covid” era.

Orbán noted that Hungary’s gas delivery agreement signed with Shell was the country’s first long-term energy deal that did not involve Russian energy suppliers. He said the deal was also significant in terms of Hungary’s sovereignty.

Asked if he believed there was a chance that Hungary and the UK would lift quarantine restrictions for each other’s citizens given both countries’ high vaccination rates, Orbán said the decision was up to the British government.

Orbán said it was understandable that the UK government was being “highly cautious” when it came to lifting restrictions, given that it is an island country, which he said made things more difficult than in the cases of landlocked countries.

He added that hopefully the two countries’ foreign ministers would sign an agreement on the mutual recognition of each other’s immunity certificates.

In response to a question, Orbán said his talks with Johnson had also touched on issues concerning democracy, the press, the LGBT community and the rule of law.

He said Hungary’s judiciary was among the most independent in Europe, adding that there was an abundance of publications in the country that are critical of the government.

The prime minister dismissed accusations of anti-Semitism as “simply ridiculous”, noting that Hungary had a large Jewish community.

Orbán rejected the suggestion that US financier George Soros had been the target of attacks with anti-Semitic undertones. He called Soros a “talented Hungarian businessman”, adding at the same time that he was also a “serious rival” for “supporting migration” and “financing NGOs that organise it”.

“We don’t like this, but this has nothing to do with ethnic identity,” Orbán said.

Johnson’s Downing Street office said in a statement after the meeting that the prime minister was looking forward to the UK working more closely with the Visegrad Group in the future.

The statement said that in his talks with Orbán, Johnson had raised concerns about human rights in Hungary, including gender equality, LGBT rights and media freedom.

The two premiers also discussed several foreign policy issues including Russia, Belarus and China. “The Prime Minister encouraged Hungary to use their influence to promote democracy and stability,” the statement said.

Szijjarto: All agreements in place for post-Brexit cooperation with UK

Hungary and Britain have concluded all agreements that specify the conditions of post-Brexit cooperation, Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade said in London on Friday. After attending official talks between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his British counterpart Boris Johnson, Peter Szijjarto said that Hungary strives for the closest possible bilateral cooperation with Britain.

The minister identified two strategic areas, namely the energy and defence industries, which he said would see even more intensive and promising cooperation in the period to come.

Szijjarto noted that Shell was the first non-Russian energy company with whom Hungary had signed a long-term gas purchase agreement. He added that Hungary’s government seeks to expand cooperation with, and import more gas from, Shell.

“Now we have a six-year contract on the purchase of 1.5 billion cubic metres of gas,” he said.

Defence industry cooperation focuses on enhanced security as both countries are members of the same defence alliance, Szijjarto said. He said that Hungary’s defence industry had launched ambitious development projects, and that British companies may play a substantial role in joint R+D and manufacturing.

Szijjarto said that the 900 British companies present in Hungary employ over 50,000 workers. During the coronavirus pandemic the Hungarian government granted support to six of them to prevent mass layoffs, he said.

Cooperation between central Europe and Britain was significant and, from the political point of view, especially important within the European Union, and the situation has not changed since Britain’s departure either, Szijjarto said.