In her welcome address before their talks, Angela Merkel congratulated her Hungarian counterpart on his re-election in April. The Hungarian people have expressed great trust in Viktor Orbán, she said. But great trust always implies responsibility of course, said the Chancellor.

A special year for German-Hungarian relations

The year the Berlin Wall fell, 1989, was also a historical year for relations between Hungary and Germany. "We will always be grateful to Hungary for helping the people of the then German Democratic Republic to leave Hungary, crossing the Hungarian-Austrian border," recalled the Chancellor. "In our shared history it will always be very important to us that this was where the iron curtain first opened a chink."

When Hungary opened its border to Austria on 10 September 1989 to allow refugees from the German Democratic Republic to leave, it was a milestone in bilateral relations. Hungary is seen as the country that prised the first brick out of the Berlin Wall.

Quarter of a century of cooperation

Angela Merkel stressed that the 25-year cooperation with Hungary was "crowned by Hungary’s accession to the European Union". Germany and Hungary have very close economic relations, "which we aim to develop further along sensible lines". Reliable legal frameworks are important for this. Many good examples of cooperation already exist.

Viktor Orbán expressed his thanks for intensive and successful cooperation. He is optimistic with respect to the future economic development of his country.

In 2013, Germany was again Hungary’s most important trading partner by a long way. About one quarter of Hungary’s foreign trade is conducted with Germany. In 2011 bilateral trade was worth about 36 billion euros, in 2012 about 38 billion euros and in 2013 some 39 billion euros. Germany is the largest source of foreign direct investment in Hungary, accounting for about 24 per cent of the total. All in all foreign direct investment at the end of the second quarter of 2012 totalled about 71.6 billion euros.

Poland’s proposal to establish an energy union was also on the agenda, said Angela Merkel. This would mean stepping up cooperation and diversifying the EU’s energy base. Talks over the months to come must not, of course, lose sight of energy and climate targets.

European elections pose a challenge

"We are united in our desire for the people to embrace Europe," stressed the Chancellor, with a view to the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament. Not every problem in Europe need be a problem for Brussels and for Europe. Many problems can be solved at home. "But Europe is good for the problems that can be solved better in Europe. And we will stand up for this in our respective countries," Angela Merkel confirmed.

Ukraine crisis an important issue

Options for resolving the crisis in Ukraine were also on the agenda of talks between the two heads of government. The Chancellor called for three things, here: firstly support for Ukraine so that "the people can decide freely". For this the presidential elections on 25 May are "crucially important". Secondly, a diplomatic solution of the conflict through negotiations. Thirdly, sanctions which "are not an end in themselves". If it becomes necessary, "we will not be able to discount this option".

The heads of state and government of the European Union had agreed on this procedure, stated Angela Merkel clearly. She emphasised "Russia’s responsibility in this process". The meeting between Didier Burkhalter, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, and the Russian President had been very important in this context. "Now we must see that we get things moving forward," she said.