Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto denied reports that his government received a request to veto a possible postponement of Brexit.

The United Kingdom has not requested that the Hungarian government exercises its right of veto in the European Council and prevents the EU from allowing a delay of Brexit, Szijjarto told the V4 news agency in London.

It is one of the persistent Brexit rumors, that the British Government, faced with pressure from Parliament to postpone Brexit again, might turn to some EU countries asking them to veto its own request. Szijjarto stressed that the Hungarian government has already passed a law on safeguarding the rights of Britons living in Hungary, adding that Hungary expects the same from the UK: to respect the rights of Hungarians living, studying or working in Britain.

During the Brexit talks so far, the EU has managed to preserve the unity of its remaining 27 member states. The question is whether we can reach a new agreement in the short time period until the Brexit deadline. As no one can give a certain answer, the next session of the European Council in two weeks is to have added significance, and European premiers will have a chance to consult Britain’s prime minister, Szijjarto told V4NA during his visit to London. The politician said that although he was aware of the related news coverage, the British government has not asked Hungary to veto a possible request on delaying the British departure.

Peter Szijjarto stressed that Hungary’s position on Brexit and the Brexit talks were guided by its national interests, adding that it was crucial that nothing should hinder cooperation between the UK and the EU until Britain’s departure. “Britain ranks as the 11th most important trade partner of Hungary with the two countries joint trade turnover reaching 5.5 billion euros in 2018. Moreover, the UK is Hungary’s sixth most significant investor. It ranks fourth among our foreign investors in employing the most number of people, and four British companies are strategic partners of the Hungarian government. Thus the most important priority for us is to avoid anything that can endanger this cooperation.” the minister stated.