Hungarian foreign minister discusses migration, EU affairs in Lithuania

Vilnius, March 9 (MTI) – Hungary’s foreign minister discussed migration, EU affairs and bilateral ties with senior Lithuanian government officials in Vilnius on Thursday.

Péter Szijjártó agreed with Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Foreign Minister Linas Antanas Linkevicius on the need to protect the EU’s external borders effectively.

It was another matter of consensus that the best solution for the EU would be to decide outside its territory whom to grant entry to the bloc, he told MTI over the phone.

The two sides agreed that assistance should be extended to those in need in their native land or its vicinity to help them return to their homes as soon as possible, the minister said.

The two sides agreed that the rights of EU citizens living and working in Britain must be protected even after Brexit, he said.

Szijjártó said that the EU sanctions against Russia had failed both politically and economically and must therefore be addressed on the highest EU forums. Although the Lithuanian negotiators assessed the situation differently, the two sides fully agreed on the need of guaranteeing Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.