Six direct flights will connect Hungary and China starting this summer, following Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó’s announcement in Beijing on Tuesday of a new service from Budapest to Xi’an. Direct connectivity plays a vital role in Sino–Hungarian economic and trade relations.
After lengthy negotiations, an agreement was reached on the opening of a new border crossing point at the Hungarian–Ukrainian border, bringing the total number of crossing points between the two countries to six. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó described this development as a significant step forward that will enhance people’s lives and foster better relations between the two countries.
In the second half of 2024 a regional power exchange known as the BlueSky Project is poised for launch, involving Hungary, Slovenia, and Serbia. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated in Budapest on Tuesday that the initiative will notably enhance regional security of energy supply.
For the first time since the end of January, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sat down for talks. Recently, significant steps have been taken to restore mutual trust between the two countries.
Both Viktor Orbán and Péter Szijjártó have extended their condolences to Russia over the tragic events that occurred last Friday at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow. The circumstances surrounding one of the most brutal terrorist attacks in decades remain unclear.
Early in March Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli visited Hungary and met Hungary’s Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, several Hungarian Jewish community leaders, while also giving presentations on the Gaza War. Jews in Hungary can practice their faith in safety in contrast to many other European nations, he noted during his visit.
Following talks with his Thai counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó revealed that tourist traffic between the two countries has doubled, with more than 10,000 Thai tourists visiting Hungary last year, while more than 30,000 Hungarians travelled to Thailand.
The Budapest Balkans Forum 2024 began with captivating discussions about the region’s future, featuring Hungarian government officials such as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, and Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka, among others.
Péter Szijjártó welcomed the continuous development of bilateral economic relations and the breaking of export records. He also praised Qatar’s role in the release of some hostages abducted by Hamas, including three Hungarian citizens, and revealed that another Hungarian citizen might be held by terrorist organization and requested assistance from Qatar in facilitating their prompt return.
Péter Szijjártó pointed out that Hungary managed to achieve great results despite the fact that the global economy underwent significant crises last year, as indicated by global data. The amount of investments made worldwide decreased by 12.5 per cent from 2021 to 2022. In the first half of last year, an additional 30 per cent decrease was recorded.