Foreign minister opens second Hungary-Romania motorway crossing

The foreign ministers of Hungary and Romania on Friday inaugurated the second motorway border crossing between the two countries.

Hungary’s Péter Szijjártó said that the new link was a “shared success”, a basis for building “trust and mutual respect” between the two sides of the border. “On this basis even hard (bilateral) issues could be resolved and closed,” he added.

The new section between Nagykereki and Bors (in Romania) links Hungary’s M4 and Romania’s A3 motorways.

The new border crossing is the twelfth between the two countries, Szijjártó noted. Quality infrastructure is key in fostering neighbourly relations, he said.

The third motorway crossing between Romania and Hungary is planned to open in 2024, between Csenger and Satu Mare (Szatmárnémeti), he said.

Szijjártó noted that Romania is Hungary’s ninth largest trading partner and fourth largest export market. Infrastructure developments will also benefit Hungarians living in Romania, he said.

A high-capacity natural gas interconnector is planned to start operation next year, and high-voltage electric cables will also be connected in the near future, he said.

Romanian Transport Minister Lucian Bode said infrastructure development was a point of focus for the Romanian government.

Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomed “positive events” such as the inauguration in bilateral relations. Aurescu and Szijjártó in May agreed to set up a business chamber and to convene a meeting of the mixed economic committee in the autumn, Aurescu said.

He welcomed Hungary’s decision to allow Romanians to travel across Hungary despite the otherwise stringent coronavirus-related restrictions. People commuting to work across the border may travel too, he added.

Read alsoHungarian authorities discover multiple tunnels below border fence

Read alsoEU: Hungarian border measures favouring the V4 countries are illegal and discriminatory

Source: MTI