“Hungary is continuing to provide assistance towards combatting the novel coronavirus epidemic to neighbouring states that are in difficulties, and these activities are fully in harmony with the related European Union policy”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared following a videoconference of EU development affairs ministers on Wednesday.

At a press conference held on his Facebook page, the Minister reported on the fact that the meeting had been convened by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to enable the European Union to jointly provide 15.5 billion euros in aid to help neighbouring Western Balkan, African and Asian countries combat the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition, Josep Borrell asked member states to also provide assistance to third countries in need at national level, if possible. With relation to this, Mr. Szijjártó underlined: “In the spirit of responsible neighbourhood policy, Hungary has already assisted Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia and the Bosnian Republic of Serbia with 600 thousand face masks and 30 thousand pieces of protective clothing”.

The Minister pointed out that 36 million face masks have arrived to date via the well-functioning airlift between China and Hungary, as well as a full production line capable of manufacturing 2.8 million masks-a-month, and accordingly Hungary can currently primarily help with these pieces of equipment.

In addition, he highlighted the fact that in the spirit of mutual aid the government has so far assisted in bringing home around 130 citizens from both inside and outside the European Union, who had been stranded abroad.

Mr. Szijjártó said it was nice that the European community is attempting to provide assistance under the name Team Europe, but stressed that it is difficult to talk credibly about team-building if in the meantime “they are continuously trying to put certain members of the team in a difficult position with lies, pieces of fake news and other defamatory acts”.

He added that accordingly he had asked the High Representative to exert pressure on some members of the European Commission to refrain from the “hobby-like attacking” of Hungary and the “manufacturing and proliferation of fake news”, because the work of the Commissioners is not this, but to support member states in the current, difficult situation.

In closing, the Minister said that following the arrival of eight cargo planes on Tuesday, another seven planes are arriving from China on Wednesday, bearing five million face masks, 140 respirators and thirty thousand pieces of protective clothing, and the airlift will continue to operate.

(MTI)