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Comprehensive FTA should be reached between UK, EU: Hungarian FM
From:Xinhua  |  2017-09-15 02:57

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BUDAPEST, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The most comprehensive and large free trade agreement (FTA) should be reached between Britain and the European Union (EU) in order to minimize the negative consequences of the Brexit, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijarto told reporters here on Thursday.

He made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference after a meeting between Philip Hammond, the chancellor of the exchequer of Britain, and the ministers of foreign trade of the countries of the Visegrad 4 -- Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

"Should we not be able to achieve such an FTA, then the World Trade Organization's regulations would prevail, meaning customs and other tariffs, and we would like to avoid that," Szijarto warned.

"Our intention is also to protect the interest of EU citizens who work or study in the UK, to maintain closest security policy, treating refugee and migrant issues," he added.

The ministers of the other V4 countries agreed with the Hungarian minister and recalled that close to 1.5 million citizens of the V4 countries were living and working in the UK.

Szijjarto said Britain is not only one of the major economic powerhouses of the EU, but also one of the major contributors of the EU budget.

To that respect, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond underlined that his country always honored its obligations.

"The UK has been absolutely clear that it always meets its obligations, and if we have obligations we will discharge them faithfully, and honestly," the chancellor said.

Hammond said, "It should be up to each country to decide if and when to join the eurozone, but it is the interest of Britain to have a prosper EU with a strong and stable currency."

Even after Brexit, Britain would remain a friend of the Central and Eastern European countries, Hammond said.

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