Tamás Sulyok: deepening the dialogue between Hungary and Poland is a key priority

Maintaining and deepening the dialogue between Poland and Hungary is of the utmost importance, said President of Hungary Tamás Sulyok at a joint press conference with President Andrzej Duda in Stary Sacz, southern Poland, on Friday.

The Hungarian President arrived in Poland on a working visit to mark the Day of Polish-Hungarian Friendship (23 March).

Tamás Sulyok recalled that Polish-Hungarian friendship goes back more than a thousand years and is deeply rooted in Hungarian society, adding: "We East-Central Europeans have a common destiny and common tasks, and this has connected the two countries since St. Kinga's day.

The Hungarian President said that the meeting also touched on the Three Seas Initiative, the importance of force development, minorities and trade relations between the countries.

We are talking about two nations that appreciate and value freedom, Tamás Sulyok pointed out, stressing that Hungarians and Poles have always known that freedom is something that needs to be fought for, and history has constantly demonstrated that only by joining forces and working together can the two countries become free, equal and rapidly developing states and nations of Europe.

Tamás Sulyok stressed that the two countries also share several common foreign policy interests. Hungary is proud of the fact that its defence spending amounts to two per cent of its GDP, and the development of its armed forces is important for Hungary, as it is for Poland.

National minorities also link the two countries, and since there is a Polish minority community in Kaposvár, for example, President Sulyok invited President Duda to celebrate Polish-Hungarian Friendship Day in Kaposvár next year.

Tamás Sulyok stressed that they are both open to dialogue and cooperation, which is important for moving closer on issues where points of view are different. He also said that Poland was Hungary's third largest trading partner in 2023, which is an important factor in the relationship between the two countries. Relations between the two countries' legislatures and parliaments are also intensive, he added.

On the Three Seas Initiative and the Bucharest Nine, the President emphasized that Andrzej Duda and he himself considered them important. Any project that strengthens cohesion in Central Europe and promotes economic prosperity and security is extremely useful, he said.