Budapest/Warsaw, July 9 (MTI) – Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó held a face-to-face meeting with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Warsaw on Saturday to review the situation resulting from the British referendum on EU membership.
In a statement sent to MTI, Szijjarto said the Hungarian government respects the decision of British citizens and fully opposes the pressure exercised by EU institutions on the United Kingdom to announce its intention to exit as soon as possible.
The foreign minister told his British colleague that Hungary will represent two key interests at the Brexit talks: to maintain economic ties between the United Kingdom and the European Union as close as possible and to protect the employment rights and interests of Hungarians working in Britain.
The Hungarian government believes that the lesson from the British referendum is clear: the European Union needs fundamental and profound changes, and it has become clear that European policies cannot be conducted against the will of the European people, Szijjarto said.
The Hungarian government has always appreciated the closeness of its bilateral relations with the United Kingdom and will continue to strive to maintain these in the future, the statement said.
Photo: MTI