Prague/Budapest, April 9 (CTK) – Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) congratulated his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on the victory of his Fidesz party in the Sunday general election on Monday, as did Czech President Milos Zeman, who mentioned a further deepening of cooperation in Central Europe.
Babis wrote to Orban that he wanted to keep cooperating with him on the European level and within the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland).
Fidesz gained the constitutional majority in the parliament.
Babis said Orban’s victory was convincing.
“I am looking forward to further cooperation with the future new government in the Visegrad Group, both within the EU framework and on the bilateral level,” Babis has tweeted.
On the social network, Babis added a congratulation in Hungarian to the Czech one.
Babis also called Orban to congratulate him on Monday.
“I talked to him a while ago. For him it is an enormous success and I have very good relations with him. I understand his criticism of the European Union and I agree with him on some points,” he told journalists at the close of his visit to the Hradec Kralove Region.
Babis said the European Commission cannot decide on everything. “The prime ministers and presidents must have the main say in Europe and we strive for this,” he said, adding that “this is why we (Orban and Babis) are in the same boat” concerning the Dublin system for asylum seekers, mandatory refugee quotas and the EU budget.
Babis rejected the view that Orban is undermining the EU.
Zeman, in a letter of congratulations, praised cooperation between Prague and Budapest in the EU, NATO and the V4.
“I am convinced that Central Europe has a far-from-small potential for the deepening of mutual cooperation, both bilateral and on international forums. I firmly believe that still in the course of this year, we will find a suitable opportunity to meet and strengthen Czech-Hungarian friendship,” Zeman wrote.
Orban’s victory was expected and there was only the question of whether he will gain the constitutional majority. Fidesz has 133 out of the 199 seats, which is closely above the constitutional majority.
