Hungary has a vested interest in maintaining economic and political cooperation with Britain, and will take steps to help the success of negotiations about the terms of Britain’s exit and the new conditions of future cooperation, he said. Lázár stressed the need to protect the rights and interests of the hundreds of thousands of Hungarians working in Britain.

He called for strengthening the Visegrad Four cooperation in a way that the interests of Hungarians in Britain be represented more effectively.

The government office chief said Hungary’s national referendum to be held in the autumn on the EU’s mandatory quota plan cannot be regarded as a vote against the European Union.

Rather, it will provide an excellent example for consulting the public on a matter of key importance, he said. If Hungarians are not asked about migration, one cannot “credibly represent” the position that it is a fundamental right of each country to decide who can stay on its territory, he said.

Lázár said that migration had contributed to the British Leave vote. It may undermine the European Union if its members are not allowed to freely decide whether or not they want immigration, he added. Lázár voiced sharp criticism of financier George Soros, whom he said “directly interfered” and would promote massive immigration through “anti-Hungarian proposals” and cutting EU funds to the country.

Under Soros’s proposals a tax should be levied on Hungarian people to support immigrants in Europe, Lázár insisted. He added that those proposals, if implemented, would cost Europe 30 billion euros. He said he has convened five-party talks over the EU’s planned free trade agreement with Canada.

He called it a “rather surprising turn” that European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker would require approval of CETA solely on a European level. Hungary’s parliament approved a decree stating that it wants a vote on the matter on a national level, Lázár noted, adding that he seeks reinforcement of this position by the country’s parliamentary parties.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Máthé Zoltán