Hungary and Estonia discuss NATO expansion and EU sanctions policy
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In a significant dialogue, Peter Szijjártó of Hungary and Margus Tsahkna of Estonia discussed Sweden's NATO membership and criticized the EU's sanctions policy against Russia. Highlighting Hungary's consistent support for NATO expansion and questioning the effectiveness of sanctions, the talks also focused on strengthening bilateral relations and shared strategic interests, marking a call for the EU to prioritize peace-building efforts.
Peter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, held discussions with his Estonian counterpart, Margus Tsahkna, focusing on Sweden’s NATO membership application among other critical bilateral issues. During a government session held in Sopronbánfalva, Szijjártó informed that he had a phone conversation with Tsahkna, during which he reassured the Estonian minister of Hungary’s unchanged positive stance towards Sweden’s accession to NATO, noting that the ratification proposal had already been submitted to the National Assembly for consideration.
Szijjártó also mentioned that Hungary had extended an invitation to the Swedish Prime Minister to visit Hungary, expressing hope for acceptance as it would demonstrate the importance Sweden places on the issue. Additionally, the ministers discussed sanctions against Russia, with Szijjártó emphasizing Hungary’s viewpoint that the sanctions policy had failed, thus seeing no merit in adopting further sanction packages.
Reflecting on the European Union’s plan to introduce new sanctions against Russia as the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine approaches, Szijjártó criticized the idea of imposing what he termed as “sanction showcase packages,” which he believes would undermine the seriousness of the EU’s operations. He conveyed that at recent ambassadorial-level discussions, the Hungarian government made it clear to Brussels that Hungary would not support any punitive measures affecting the energy sector, nuclear industry, or potentially jeopardizing the EU’s external relations.
Szijjártó advocated for the EU to shift its focus from sanctions to peace-building, emphasizing that discussions in Brussels were ongoing, and he had given explicit instructions to Hungary’s ambassador on this matter.
In his conversation with Tsahkna, Szijjártó highlighted that despite differences in views on certain international political issues, which are natural, the two countries share many common interests and strategic goals. They agreed on the importance of strengthening bilateral relations and Tsahkna accepted an invitation to visit Budapest, hopefully before Hungary’s upcoming EU presidency cycle, indicating a mutual interest in closer, more active engagement between Hungary and Estonia.