Pavel: I Have Love for Hungary, It's Orban's Stances I Find Problematic

Bratislava, February 3 (TASR-correspondent) - I've never had a negative stance on Hungary as a country, I've got a lot of friends there, love going there and would like our ties to be harmonious, but what I think could become problematic is the approach taken by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and some of his opinions, Czech president-elect Petr Pavel told TASR in an interview on Friday. "Undoubtedly, Viktor Orban has changed a lot because at the time he began his career in politics as a rather progressive young liberal, no one would have cast any doubt over his methods. But the that turn Viktor Orban has made since then, you could call it an almost complete about-face," stated Pavel, adding that some of Orban's opinions don't really resonate with the other Visegrad Four members (the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia). "We're talking about support for Ukraine and our approach to Russia, which are matters of fundamental consequence." Pavel would welcome it if talks with Hungary were completely open, with the emphasis put on shared interests. In areas where opinions differ, an attempt should be made to bring stances closer together at least. The president-elect underlined that his stance on Hungary is not antagonistic or condemning in nature. The difference in opinions between him and the Hungarian Government doesn't mean that the two countries must view each other with hostility. "On the contrary, we should strive to bridge our differences and bring our stances closer together," stated the Czech presidential election winner. Pavel wouldn't give up on the V4 as an organisation altogether because its creation and the foundations on which it stands are relevant even today. However, cooperation won't be so easy due to differing positions on fundamental issues such as support for democracy and the approach to Russia. mf/df