Climate change, migration focus of Hungarian, Slovak presidents’ talks – UPDATE

Climate change, migration and energy issues were at the heart of talks between Hungarian President János Áder and Zuzana Caputova, his Slovakian counterpart, in Budapest on Thursday.

At the talks in the presidential Sándor Palace,

Áder underlined that the world “is in the eleventh hour” to act on climate change.

The two leaders agreed that the use of nuclear energy was indispensable in achieving climate protection goals.

As regards migration, Áder and Caputova both highlighted the importance of prevention.

Caputova underlined her campaign pledge of striving to also be the president of Slovakia‘s 450,000 citizens who identify as Hungarian.

She said she strongly believed that “a liberal democracy that guarantees each and every citizen equal rights is the best mode of protecting minorities”.

As regards the Visegrad Group cooperation, Caputova said the grouping should not settle for defending just regional interests but should also stand up for values such as the principle of the rule of law, democracy and freedom. This was important, she said, “so that we’re not seen as weakening and disrupting the European Union”.

On the topic of economic cooperation, she highlighted industrial automatisation and robotisation as the most promising areas.

Caputova said it was regrettable that for the first time none of the EU’s top leaders would be from one of the Visegrad Group countries.

But Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland are united by their citizens’ positive view of their countries’ EU membership, she added.