Hungary is protecting not only its own borders, but also those of the European Union - Interview with Katalin Novák on Sky News Australia
Hungary is protecting not only its own borders, but also those of the European Union, President of Hungary Katalin Novák told Sky News Australia's Rita Panahi in an interview on Friday.
"We are under very strong pressure on our southern borders, we are in fact protecting the external borders of the European Union and the Schengen area"- underlined the President of Hungary, who visited Sydney earlier in the day.
She also expressed her belief that strong borders mean a strong country. "A country is as strong as it can defend its territory and its borders" - she added.
"Each country must decide for itself who it will and will not let in," she said.
On migration and demographic challenges, Katalin Novák said that Hungary will focus not on immigration, but on supporting families and facilitating an increase in the country’s birth rate. She also spoke about the fact that family is a core value in Hungary, and described how Hungary’s family and child support system is trying to alleviate the financial burden on young couples and single parents. She said that the Hungarian government spends more than six per cent of its gross domestic product on family support, the highest proportion in the world, stressing that Hungary sees this as an investment. But it is not just about financial support, the aim is to create a family-friendly environment. The President stressed that "having children should not come at a financial disadvantage."
Speaking about the achievements of family policy, Katalin Novák said that the marriage rate has doubled in the last ten years, and the fertility rate has increased by 25 percent.
In response to a question, the President of Hungary said that Hungary could perhaps serve as an example to Australia with its pro-family orientation.
Katalin Novák also spoke about the war in Ukraine. "We are directly affected by the war in Ukraine because it is taking place in our neighbourhood and because there is a Hungarian minority in Ukraine," she said.
"War is a daily tragedy with lives lost on both sides" she added.
The President stressed that Hungary will do its utmost to achieve peace sooner rather than later through negotiations.
She pointed out that Hungary condemns Russia's aggression against Ukraine and is providing humanitarian aid to people fleeing the neighbouring country.
Katalin Novák expressed her concern about what is happening in Israel, and also assured Israel of her support.
In response to a question on the US presidential election process and US-Hungarian relations, the President said that for Hungary as a sovereign country, the most important thing is that no one should interfere in the country’s internal affairs.