“The European Union must conclude the trade agreements with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to enable the enforcement of the interests of Hungarian enterprises in the region”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told Hungarian news agency MTI in a telephone statement on Wednesday.
Mr. Szijjártó is in the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, attending a meeting of EU and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) foreign ministers.
In the statement, the Hungarian Foreign Minister pointed out that this is the first meeting of its kind. On the sidelines of the summit, Mr. Szijjártó held thirteen separate bilateral talks with the foreign ministers of the region’s countries.
According to Mr. Szijjártó, the focus of Hungarian foreign trade within the framework of the Southern Opening policy has partly settled on the Latin American and Caribbean region, where excellent market opportunity could open up for Hungarian enterprises. “There is already major interest in Hungarian water management and city management technologies in view of the region’s geographical and natural conditions, as well as IT developments and decidedly premium category Hungarian foods”, the Minister said.
“In the interests of enabling Hungarian enterprises to exploit these market opportunities, the European Union needs to conclude the required trade and development agreements with this region”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister explained.
“Hungary has called on the EU to sign the free trade agreement with Ecuador in November and to accelerate free trade negotiations with Mercosur, the sub-regional bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Furthermore, Hungary has also urged the European Union to implement the expansion of the existing free trade agreements with Mexico and Chile within the next six months”, Mr. Szijjártó told the press.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed: “If the EU concludes these agreements then Hungarian companies will have the chance to make use of the region’s market opportunities”.
Mr. Szijjártó said the Hungarian Government has already prepared to assist Hungarian enterprises make use of market opportunities if the abovementioned agreements are concluded. The Government has decided to open embassies in Peruvian and Columbian capitals, Lima and Bogota in 2017, to significantly expand its network of honorary consuls and to place economic diplomats in every foreign representation within the region, he continued.
Hungary has been given observer status in the Pacific Alliance (Alianza del Pacifico, AdP), he added.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)
