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Poland, Hungary share common views on EU migration policy: Polish PM

  Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (R) meets visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Warsaw, Poland on May 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Maciej Gillert)

  WARSAW, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Poland and Hungary have an unequivocal position on migration and refugee policy, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stressed on Monday following a meeting here with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban.

  During a joint press conference following the meeting, Morawiecki said both countries also had similar positions on the future European Union (EU) budget, cohesion policy, and common agricultural policy.

  According to Morawiecki, the EU's proposals imposing the amounts of refugees undermined the very basics of state sovereignty. He also added that Poland wanted to make decisions on whom to receive: "Here, on the banks of Vistula River, we decide who will come to Poland".

  "During our talks, we agreed...we both want a strong Europe, we want to participate in reforms and discussions strengthening Europe, we both want a peaceful development of Europe," the Hungarian prime minister said. He also said that in terms of migration policy, national sovereignty was the most important.

  Referring to the future EU budget, Orban said there was still a lot of work to be done. Even though Polish and Hungarian positions were close, there are also many other countries with different points of view.

  Orban noted that Poland and Hungary wanted to protect their interests, including the interests of farmers. According to Orban, the most important thing was the EU's coherent internal market with fair competition.

  Morawiecki also emphasized that the central Europe region had its own unique experience which was not always well understood by Western countries. He expressed satisfaction with the friendly relations with Hungary, which, in his opinion, could contribute to further cooperation with other EU countries.

  The Hungarian prime minister began an official visit to Poland on Monday. The talks between both prime ministers focused mainly on the future EU budget, regional cooperation, migration policy and Polish-Hungarian bilateral relations.

  Following the meeting, Orban will also meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda.