Georgia should have been granted visa-free travel by the European Union a long time ago, and Hungary regards all attempts that seek to prevent this as harmful, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told the Hungarian news agency MTI in Brussels on the occasion of the international donor conference for Afghanistan.

Mr Szijjártó said that during the course of his meetings with the Foreign Ministers of the countries of Central-Asia, the Balkans and the Caucasus, they were focusing on the reinforcement of cooperation between the region and Hungary.

He mentioned that in the case of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, they were discussing cooperation in the field of water management and the exportation of Hungarian agricultural technology as the most important elements of cooperation between Hungary and the two Central-Asian countries.

Mr Szijjártó said that in the case of Albania, there is a proposal in sight on the part of the European Commission regarding the EU accession talks of the Balkans country, in the context of which Hungary takes the view that we need swift negotiations that should begin within the shortest possible time. He further reported that there will be direct flights between Budapest and Tirana as of next spring.

There was agreement with the Bulgarian Foreign Minister regarding the nomination of European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Kristalina Georgieva for the post of UN Secretary-General that an Eastern-European candidate should win this important international position under any circumstances, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade stressed.

(MTI)