Riigikogu speaker in Hungary: Migrant crisis threat to entire EU
The continuing migratory pressure on the European Union's eastern flank and its borders with Belarus represents a threat to the security of the entire union, Riigikogu speaker Jüri Ratas (Center) said Friday, while on an official visit to Hungary.
Ratas said that: "The situation on the EU's external border – Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia – is not simply a migration crisis, but also a security threat and hybrid attack against the entire union."
"It is not acceptable that third countries use migrants for their political aims, as is happening today in Belarus," he continued.
Estonian-Hungarian relations remained sound, Ratas said.
"Cultural relations between Estonia and Hungary are excellent. I'm sure the Finno-Ugric dimension is an important factor here," he continued, quoted by the Riigikogu's press service, adding that defensive cooperation, which he called outstanding as another example of this, while referencing bilateral economic relations as an action point which could be developed, and energy topics were also under discussion.
Ratas had met with his Hungarian counterpart, László Kövér, speaker of the Országgyűlés, the Hungarian National Assembly.
Ratas also thanked Hungary for taking part in the NATO air policing mission and contributing to Baltic security in this way.
Ratas also met Hungarian justice minister Judit Varga, and the pair expressed their concerns over the events in Poland and on the EU border in Lithuania adding that an immediate and efficient EU-level solution is a must-have.
Ratas also met with President of Hungary János Áder, and talked about the results of the recent COP26 Glasgow Climate Conference and Estonia's objectives in funding the Recovery Plan for Europe.
Digitalisation and cyber security, the COVID crisis and vaccination and the work of the Conference on the Future of Europe and its possible outcomes were other topics on the table during Ratas' visit.
Ratas, accompanied by Estonia-Hungary Parliamentary Group Anti Poolamets (EKRE), spoke with President of the Hungary-Estonia Friendship Group Attila Tilki and Honorary Consul András Bereczki, also the Head of the Chair of Finno-Ugric Languages at the Budapest Eötvös Loránd University, about Finno-Ugric language and culture, and cooperation between the parliamentary groups.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte