Hungary to Further Boost Trade Ties with Turkey, Says FM Szijjarto in Ankara

Budapest, November 14 (MTI) – Hungary and Turkey have agreed on further developing bilateral trade relations, Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s foreign affairs and trade minister, told MTI by phone on Friday.

Szijjarto noted that the turnover of Hungary-Turkey trade had reached a record 2.6 billion dollars in 2013, and further increased by 7.4 percent this year.

Hungary and Turkey are planning to increase mutual support for investment, re-start Hungary’s live animal exports, and involve Hungarian companies in developing Turkey’s electric and nuclear infrastructure, the foreign minister said.

Szijjarto met Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as several other ministers during his two-day visit to Turkey, and said that the country, with its dynamic economy, had a crucial role in Hungary’s external economic strategy.

The two countries have set up a fund of 50 million dollars to further boost Turkish investment in Hungary, currently amounting to 100 million dollars, Szijjarto said. Renewed Hungarian sheep and cattle exports could increase Hungary’s exports by 130-150 million dollars, the minister added.

Szijjarto voiced support for Turkey’s EU integration, and said that “a country with such a fast-growing economy as Turkey could certainly lend Europe new impulses and momentum”.

On another subject, Szijjarto said that Turkey, as a transit country, had an important role in getting natural gas from Azerbaijan to Central Europe, while Hungary was crucial in terms of Turkey’s trade ties with Europe.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters