Taking stock of the past ten years, relations between Hungary and Slovakia have never been as good as they are now, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after receiving Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger at the Carmelite Monastery on Tuesday.
Viktor Orbán emphasized that, after Germany and Austria, Slovakia is Hungary's third most important trading partner, with a turnover exceeding 10 billion euros. He added: this year the increase has already exceeded 9 percent.
He indicated: they are happy that Slovak investors have also appeared in Hungary, and thus the economic movement has become mutual. He called it great news that even in the difficult year of 2020, Hungary was able to receive investors from Slovakia.
"We took stock of the past ten years of our cooperation. With due modesty, we have to say that our relations have never been as good as they are now," he said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister indicated that Hungary and Slovakia "play the same instrument" in the matter of the Western Balkans expansion, they judge the issue of migration in the same way, and the Visegrad cooperation is also important for both countries. He noted: the V4 will meet in Katowice on Wednesday, and Hungary will try to be the best possible coordinator of the cooperation between the four countries.
Listing the joint achievements of the two countries, the head of government said: the bridge in Komárom has already been handed over, the highway connecting Miskolc with Kassa will be completed soon, and the foundation stone of the new Ipoly bridge will be laid next week. He highlighted: six new border crossing points will be established between the two countries by 2023.
Turning to the national communities, the Prime Minister confirmed: Slovaks living in Hungary will receive all the support they need for their cultural, educational and political identity. He added: they also contribute large sums to the development of the Slovak cultural center in Budapest.
He pointed out: since this is a sensitive issue, he asked the Slovak Prime Minister that if he sees any difficulties regarding the Slovaks in Hungary, then these issues should be discussed directly. Viktor Orbán thanked the Slovak Prime Minister for his "generosity" in showing a similar openness to the Hungarians living in Slovakia, and expressed his hope that the Slovak and Hungarian ethnic groups will not separate but connect the two nations.
more about what was said at the press conference here .
Photo: Facebook/Viktor Orbán
