Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Thursday held a video conference with his Austrian, Croatian, Italian and Slovenian counterparts to discuss the latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus epidemic.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Szijjártó said that Luigi di Maio, the Italian foreign minister, “had worrying numbers to report”, citing tens of thousands of confirmed cases in Italy. Szijjarto quoted Di Maio as saying that the virus and the dangers it poses should not be underestimated.
Szijjártó called on Hungarians wanting to return home from abroad to do so as soon as possible “or let [the authorities] know if they are experiencing difficulties”. “We will face travel restrictions for many months,” he said.
Coronavirus: How Can Hungarians Stranded Abroad Return Home?
The foreign ministry has set up a working group to organise the return of Hungarians stranded abroad, he said. The group has been in talks with other central European countries to fly Hungarians home from distant countries, he said.
Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia agreed earlier to coordinate their actions and share information, he said.
In the featured photo: Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. Photo by Mátyás Borsos/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade