“It is the goal of both the Hungaria and Romanian governments to maintain the dynamics of improving relations between the two countries”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stressed in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Thursday on the sidelines of a session of OSCE Ministerial Council in Milan.

Mr. Szijjártó said he had spoken by telephone with Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melascanu. “We mutually assured each other that this is in the interests of both countries, particularly in view of the debate on the future of Europe, and the Hungarian national community living on Romania’s territory in Transylvania and Szeklerland”, he told the press.

“We confirmed that in the interests of continued good relations we will be maintaining our commitments”, the Minister added.

“I assured my Romanian colleague that the Transylvanian Economic Development Programme serves not only the interests of the Hungarian peoples living there, but those of the whole of Romania, in view of the fact that the businesses that receive funding from the Transylvanian Economic Development Programme operate within the territory of Romania and pay their taxes there, and accordingly reinforce the whole of the Romanian economy. In addition, they naturally also contribute to strengthening local Hungarian national communities, but this is not just in Hungary’s interests, but also in Romania’s, since we view the Hungarian national community living there are something that connects the two countries”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)