Hungary advocates inviting Georgia to NATO and giving a boost to its integration into the European Union, as having peace in Georgia’s broader neighbourhood, a region of frozen conflicts, is a priority for Europe, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after talks with Georgian leaders in Tbilisi on Friday.
Péter Szijjártó was also received by Giorgi Kvirikasvili, Prime Minister of Georgia
Hungary fully supports a visa waiver for Georgian citizens to the EU by the end of the month. It also maintains its role in the UN Observer Mission in Georgia, providing six police officers and five army officers, Szijjártó told Hungarian news agency MTI. Szijjártó held talks with his counterpart Mikheil Janelidze, and met President Giorgi Margvelashvili (featured above), Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Chairman of Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze. Hungary’s top diplomat also signed an agreement with Natia Loladze, head of the Georgian Red Cross, of 10 million forints’ (EUR 32,422) support to alleviate flood damage.
Hungary’s top diplomat held a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Janelidze
Hungarian-Georgian relations are free from political disputes, Szijjártó said, adding that Hungarian diplomacy “has done everything possible” to support Hungarian companies on the Georgian market. The minister said that the Hungarian government had opened an 85 million euro credit line at Eximbank to help Hungarian firms gain a foothold in Georgia. The two countries will cooperate mainly in water management, infrastructure investments and the food industry, he said.
via hungarymatters.hu and MTI; photos: Árpád Szabó – Foreign Ministry / MTI