Parliamentary Committees on Saturday approved the appointment of Péter Szijjártó as Foreign Minister at their joint session.
At a committee hearing prior to his appointment, the current state secretary and deputy minister of the ministry Péter Szijjártó said at the joint meeting of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Economic and National Cohesion committees that Hungary's foreign policy has to be reconsidered to meet the requirements of a new world order and enforcing Hungary's economic interests will be a major priority. Conventional diplomatic tasks have to be fulfilled as well, but only as a means to enforce Hungary's economic interests in foreign policy.
Minister candidate Szijjártó said that, within the foreseeable future, Hungary could take the leading position within the European Union in terms of Exports to GDP and contribution of industry to GDP. And Hungary could be a leader in Central Europe in terms of direct foreign investment per capita. Large international corporations currently account for the majority of Hungarian exports, and the contribution of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises is only around 15 percent, which should be increased.
Péter Szijjártó reminded the committees that the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) has been recently set up to encourage foreign investments in the country. There are currently 52 mixed economic committees, which should be more in the focus of attention because they are excellent means to encourage international trade. Hungary has signed strategic cooperation agreements with 50 large corporations employing 167,000 people. 26 of those corporations already created additional jobs since signing the strategic agreement, yet there is no guarantee that all of them would keep or increase current staffing levels. Hungarian trading houses currently operate in 14 countries, and 13 regional offices are being set up in the Carpathian Basin. A comprehensive program to increase the number of border crossings in the region is under way, with the number of crossing points between Hungary and Slovakia planned to double by 2020.
The challenges facing the EU have highlighted the importance of developing strong relationships and strategic alliances with other regions, said current deputy minister Szijjártó. Hungary supports the enlargement of the EU and the acceleration of the integration of the Western Balkans. The Eastern Partnership initiative has to be continued but, instead of general perspectives, country-specific programs need to be developed, in line with Hungary's economic interests.
Péter Szijjártó emphasized the significance of Central Europe and the Visegrad Cooperation, and reminded that the region is an engine of growth in Europe.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
