Hungarian-German relations marking the 25th anniversary of Germany’s reunification

Budapest, September 29 (MTI) – Significant political decisions must always take into account the will of the people and respect minority opinions, Human Resources Minister Zoltan Balog told a conference on Hungarian-German relations marking the 25th anniversary of Germany’s reunification.

This is a basic principle in Europe, meaning that “we must always aim to reach a consensus, which also applies to the ongoing migrant crisis,” Balog told the conference organised by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Antall Jozsef Knowledge Centre and the Andrassy University.

Balog stressed that in order to prevent the construction of even more fences in Europe, the continent must protect its borders. He said Europe should be open to accepting others but it must also be able to decide who it can or cannot admit and how those who are taken in can be integrated into society.

He said it was a “bad habit” spreading in Europe to counter opposing viewpoints by trying to discredit the ones who hold them instead of offering valid arguments. The people of Europe have to get to know each other over and over again in order to understand their differences in opinion, he added. Europeans must treat each other as equals when debating the various issues at hand, Balog said.