Switzerland and Hungary have one thing in common: They are in conflict with the European Union. That is why the two countries are now looking for mutual closeness. The foreign ministers of both countries, Ignazio Cassis (60) and Peter Szijjarto (42), have met several times in the past few months and decided to work together more closely.
This week Szijjarto was in Geneva. In the interview, he defends himself against allegations from Brussels and takes Switzerland under protection.
Blick: Mr. Szijjarto, you and your Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis have had a lively exchange lately. Is a new friendship emerging between the two states?
Peter Szijjarto: Absolutely. So far we have mainly had a good economic cooperation, but the political exchange has remained somewhat by the wayside. Ignazio and I now want to change that.
What should this collaboration look like?
Both countries value sovereignty and pride themselves on their heritage, culture and independence. We have a lot in common and I’m sure we can support each other.
Orban’s pupil
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (42) is a political high flyer and, alongside Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the most important figureheads of the national conservative party Fidesz. At the age of 20 he was elected to the city assembly in Györ, at 24 he was the youngest member of the national parliament. Orban made him his spokesman in 2010 and appointed him foreign minister in 2014. Szijjarto, who comes from a wealthy family, studied international relations and sports management in Budapest. He is married to a teacher and has two boys.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (42) is a political high flyer and, alongside Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the most important figureheads of the national conservative party Fidesz. At the age of 20 he was elected to the city assembly in Györ, at 24 he was the youngest member of the national parliament. Orban made him his spokesman in 2010 and appointed him foreign minister in 2014. Szijjarto, who comes from a wealthy family, studied international relations and sports management in Budapest. He is married to a teacher and has two boys.
Switzerland has canceled the framework agreement with the EU. What was the mistake?
Switzerland is – purely geographically – well integrated in Europe and a natural partner of the EU. The problem is that Brussels has withdrawn from existing agreements and pushed Switzerland out of cooperation. This is completely against the interests of the EU and the Member States.
So can you understand why Switzerland stopped the negotiations?
I regret that the agreement did not come about. But I understand that a country does not want to give up parts of its sovereignty.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks of the EU as a “European empire”. In which direction does the EU have to develop?
We definitely don’t want a United States of Europe. The EU is strong when the member states are sovereign and strong themselves. That means: no further powers to Brussels! We must also increase competitiveness – also among the Member States – because this also increases the competitiveness of the entire EU.
What do you mean by that?
We have to forget the communist idea of tax harmonization, as well as the communist idea of a global minimum tax.
For the EU, Hungary is currently the black sheep among the member states. Brussels accuses Orban, for example, of restricting media freedom. Is Hungary saying goodbye to democracy?
Everything that happens in Hungary is based on democratically conducted elections. What Western Europe does not understand is that we are not representatives of the left and liberal mainstream. Our policy is clearly oriented towards the other side, towards national interests, patriotic and Christian democratic thinking. That is why we are always the target of attacks.
Nevertheless: the freedom of the media was restricted.
No. There are many leading media outlets that criticize the government, but on the other hand there are also many conservative ones. The problem with Brussels is that it just doesn’t want to understand that not all media in Hungary are liberal.
The former EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has already greeted Orban with “Hello Dictator”. Is the Hungarian Prime Minister a dictator?
On the contrary. He is the most democratic head of government in Europe. Orban has always participated in our eight elections since the fall of the Wall. He won four times and lost four times. And he always accepted his defeats and never gave up.
A law caused great indignation in the EU, which from the Hungarian point of view is supposed to protect children, but from the point of view of Brussels it discriminates against homosexuals and the entire LGBTQ community. Is Hungary a homophobic country?
Anyone who criticizes the law has not read it. It only says one thing: that sex education for children under the age of 18 is the sole responsibility of their parents. It is forbidden for organizations in kindergarten or school to talk about homosexuality or gender reassignment. The law does not forbid a man to love a man or a woman to love a woman.
In a few days, Switzerland will vote on marriage for everyone. How would you decide?
In Hungary, the constitution says that marriage is for a man and a woman and that a family consists of a father, mother and children. But I don’t criticize anyone who thinks differently. I would certainly vote against it.
Out of anger, the EU is holding back millions of euros destined for Hungary. What do you think?
This is extortion. The contributions are not humanitarian donations that are paid out of generosity, but part of a contract that the EU and Hungary have concluded. The money is ours. It should also not be forgotten that 70 percent of all EU funds for Eastern countries flow back to Western countries through companies.
Because of the dispute with the EU, Switzerland is also holding back the cohesion billion for states in Eastern Europe – around 88 million francs would go to Hungary. Would you pay or not?
For us, cooperation between Switzerland and the EU does not mean that the money is paid or not. It is more important that the EU builds external partnerships – with partners like Switzerland. And here the EU Commission makes the mistake of jeopardizing this partnership.