In Budapest on Thursday Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that reasonable cooperation is needed between Hungary and Romania, and the debates must stay within reasonable limits in order to resolve them.

At a joint press conference after talks with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu, Mr. Szijjártó stressed that Hungary is committed to finding European solutions for debates on minorities in a European way in line with European values.

Mr. Szijjártó explained that it should not be denied that bilateral relations between the countries contain several difficult questions. The relationships of Central Europe's neighbouring countries are associated with many sensitive issues, but these countries depend on each other; their success depends on each other’s success, therefore Hungary could be more successful if its neighbours are.

He reminded his audience that The Hungarian-Romanian Joint Committee on Minority Affairs has not met since 2011, but now the parties agree that the joint chairpersons shall continue the work begun and consultation on the most important issues. Cross-border Hungarian communities are important for Hungary, as is the Romanian community living in Hungary, Mr. Szijjártó added.

The Hungarian minister emphasised that it is the Government's duty and responsibility to support communities living outside Hungary in the achievement of their goals, and to do this when the Hungarian government discusses the situation of Hungarian minorities with Romania. This is why the work is continuing within the framework of the Joint Committee, he added.

The Hungarian minister also said that motorway connections between the two countries will be completed in the summer; the two countries’ electricity networks and gas pipeline systems will also be connected soon, and this opens up the opportunity for gas transportation from Romania. He noted that the exploration and production activities of MOL could contribute to development of bilateral energy cooperation.

Mr. Szijjártó also spoke about the significance of the two countries' economic relations, pointing out that Romania is Hungary’s third most important export market.

He welcomed Mr. Aurescu’s proposal on setting up an international court dealing with terrorist attacks. Both ministers stressed the importance of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)