Hungary foreign minister meets German counterpart

Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi was received by his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle in Berlin on Thursday for talks on Hungary's upcoming EU presidency, as well as the need to amend the EU's basic treaty.

Germany is a key partner for Hungary, Martonyi told reporters after the meeting. "A strong and successful Germany is vital for the strength of Europe; (as president) we will support all that is important for Germany," he added.

Westerwelle said that each EU member should "do their homework" in the interest of the community, that is, perform their obligations under their stability agreement and keep their budget deficit under control. He also praised the Hungarian government's "energetic measures" targeting consolidation.

Martonyi then attended the 20th general assembly session of the German-Hungarian Forum. In his address at the forum, Martonyi talked about Hungary's priorities during the upcoming presidency, and mentioned legislative tasks in connection with the EU's economic policy. "We are not afraid of those major tasks, because we know that we can rely on our friends both in political and technical terms," he said.