The election of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk as President of the European Council demonstrates that the importance of Central Europe has further increased and it is also a success for Hungary, Péter Szijjártó said on M1 Hungarian Television’s evening news programme.

The Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who is currently in Moldova, said in a telephone interview that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been arguing and lobbying for a long time in favour of the European Union also having a leader from Central Europe.

Central Europe has significantly increased in importance in an economic sense in view the fact that its economic figures and results exceed the EU average, and the region has become the driving force behind growth within the European Union.

The State Secretary declared that Donald Tusk’s election has also given added political weight to the Central European region; the Polish Prime Minister’s rise to President is a significant regional and Hungarian success. “We can now state that in addition to its economic importance, the political importance of the Visegrád Group, of which Hungary is a member, and of the whole Central European region has increased significantly”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.

In reply to a question on whether President Tusk’s new role could result practical benefits for Hungary, the State Secretary said the answer was yes, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintains a good relationship with the Polish politician, who has always been committed supporter of the Visegrád cooperation.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)