Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó held talks on primarily economic issues in Mexico on Tuesday, in addition to which he will be signing an agreement on the provision of two billion forints (EUR 6.2 million) in funding towards the reconstruction of two Catholic churches.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister’s primary negotiating partner was Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Márquez Colin. “Hungary launched its Southern Opening policy in 2015, the emphasis of which is on cooperation with the countries of Latin America, which have rapidly growing economies”, the politician said in a telephone statement to Hungarian news agency MTI. “The programme is particularly successful, a good example of which are Mexican-Hungarian relations. Today Mexico is Hungary’s number one trade partner in the region. Last year, bilateral trade flow increased to over 1 billion dollars, to which Hungarian exports contributed 875 million dollars, meaning trade generated a significant surplus”, the Minister said.

“Mexico’s economy is the second largest in Latin America following Brazil. The country’s expanding automotive sector is searching for European partners, there is a major import demand for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, and its agriculture is facing challenges that result in it wanting to apply European irrigation technologies”, he stated. “These four areas represent major opportunities for Hungarian enterprises, which are achieving increasing success on the Mexican market”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

“In the interests of further results, the Government has opened a 620-million-dollar credit line at Eximbank to facilitate the activities of Hungarian enterprises in Mexico”, he added. “Mexico is also important to Hungary because it is the world’s second largest Catholic country. This is an important link for Hungary, which has been Christian for a thousand years”, the Minister said.

He recalled that a serious earthquake hit Mexico in 2017, which also caused damage to churches. Mr. Szijjártó told the press that he will be signing an agreement with Minister of Culture Alejandra Fausto on Tuesday on the provision of two billion forints (EUR 6.2 million) in funding towards the reconstruction of two Catholic churches. “One is a rural monastery, and the other is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the centre of Mexico City. “The latter has an artistic link to Hungary, because, for instance, its stained glass windows depict Hungarian saints”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)