“Hungarian-German relations within the fields of the economy, innovation and technology, as well as with relation to defence policy, could advance to a new level and be given a new quality”, the Government Spokesperson said in evaluation of the fact that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Zoltán Kovács referred to the fact that the flow of goods between Germany and the countries of the Visegrád Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the V4) is 50 percent higher than the level of trade between Germany and France.

The Government Spokesperson highlighted the fact that the tightening of economic relations could be particularly true with relation to cooperation within the fields of innovation and technology. “A significant proportion of German enterprises have already been present in Hungary as representatives of high added value and extremely developed sectors of industry that point to the future, and Hungary is continuing to search for cooperation of this kind and wants to raise it to a new level”, he explained.

“Accordingly, in the coming weeks and months we will be looking for further cooperation opportunities via the Hungarian and German ministries and working groups involved”, he indicated.

On the subject of defence cooperation, Mr. Kovács referred to the meetings held by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, who told Hungarian public media representatives in Berlin that extremely close defence and defence industry cooperation will be established between Hungary and Germany and that a joint Central European NATO Division Command will be set up with the support of Germany.

The Government Spokesperson told the press that defence cooperation would also involve the development of the Division Command and military equipment, as well as the reform of the Hungarian military.

“Both countries have an interest in the establishment of an independent European defence force”, he declared, recalling that the Hungarian Prime Minister had been one of the first to call for the setting up of a joint European military.

“Both the Division Command and the development of European defence capabilities are a common topic that according to the Government’s plans could raise cooperation to a new level”, Mr. Kovács declared.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)