The Hungarian government will give “every support” to Moldova’s efforts to join the European Union, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Chișinău on Wednesday, MTI reported.
Speaking after talks with his Moldovan counterpart Nicu Popescu, Szijjártó underlined the geopolitical value of the Eastern Partnership program and urged the earliest possible enlargement of the EU as well as the promotion of closer ties with countries in the region.
Szijjártó noted the “strong positions” of Hungarian retail bank OTP and pharmaceutical company Richter in Moldova’s markets, adding that bilateral trade reached a record 200 million euros last year.
Meanwhile, Szijjártó regretted that WizzAir had temporarily suspended its operations in Moldova and said he hoped services would resume “as soon as safety guarantees are in place.”
On another issue, Szijjártó said NATO members would not be reimbursed for previous contributions to fund the Afghan military and expressed the Hungarian government’s wish to use some of the funds, 120 million forints (322,000 euros), to strengthen Moldova’s security. He said that Moldova was “on the eastern border of the European political community, so we have a mutual interest in each other’s security.
Featured image via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter