Berlin (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who journeyed to the Hungarian city of Sopron the day before, has urged the Hungarian authorities to strengthen cohesion in the European Union.
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been observing the Pan-European Picnic in Hungary’s border town of Sopron. The occasion 35 years ago was a precursor to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Commemoration events observing the 35th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic, an assemblage at the Hungarian border in 1989 that set the scene for the fall of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain, took place in Hungary.
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the town of Sopron, where the historic occasion took place, in the afternoon, in which he thanked Hungary for its assistance in ending the divisions in Germany and Europe. The event was also followed by Hungary’s president, Tamas Sulyok, but not by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has repeatedly called the value of European unity, as indicated by the Picnic, into question.
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Steinmeier also highlighted the importance of a united EU position in helping Ukraine, which is protecting itself against the Russian full-scale invasion.
After the gathering with Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, Steinmeier stated that Hungary’s important function as the current EU Council presidency is to “maintain unity within the EU and promote constructive joint solutions for our common future matters”. Steinmeier stated that he hoped Hungary would “accept and fulfil this role”. He also pointed out, in certain, the need to maintain a common standing on assistance to Ukraine.