RIGA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto met here on Friday with Latvian officials and signed a bilateral cooperation agreement, the Latvian Foreign Ministry said.

Szijjarto and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two countries' Foreign Ministries. They also discussed current European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) affairs, and reviewed bilateral ties.

At a news conference, Rinkevics said that Hungary and Latvia are likeminded countries with similar positions on issues like the EU's multiannual budget and cohesion policy.

Szijjarto stressed that both Hungary and Latvia support the EU's further enlargement.

They both criticized the mandatory quota system proposed by the EU for the resettlement of asylum seekers across the bloc's member states.

"As far as migration is concerned, Latvia and Hungary are unanimous that border protection is the priority. We want to protect our countries, our citizens and residents. We reject Brussels' idea of mandatory quotas," said Szijjarto.

The Latvian minister agreed that the two countries want migration-related issues to be dealt with in a way that respects the member states' sovereign interests and without a quota system. Enditem

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