Hungarian, Czech foreign ministers see good conditions for cooperation

Prague, May 5 (MTI) – Trade between Hungary and the Czech Republic has been growing rapidly and the conditions are good to further develop cooperation, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after meeting Czech counterpart Lubomir Zaoralek on Tuesday.

Szijjarto is on a working visit in Prague.

He told a press conference that participants in the Hungarian and Czech economies have trust in each other, which is demonstrated by last year’s increase of over 10 percent in bilateral trade, followed by an additional 6 percent increase in the first two months of this year.

He said the launch of flagship projects has been very important, adding that if these are successful then they open further opportunities for cooperation. Three Hungarian companies play major roles in the Czech economy: Hungary’s oil and gas company MOL operates 318 petrol stations in the Czech Republic, making it the second largest participant in the sector, pharmaceuticals company Richter Gedeon is a market leader in providing gynecology drugs and Danubius Hotels has grown to become the third largest spa operator in the country.

Skoda from Plzen has won a public procurement in Hungary and plans to participate in the Paks nuclear power plant expansion project, Szijjarto said.

The companies of Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Andrej Babis employ more than 2,000 people in Hungary, he added.

In order to expand cooperation to small and medium-sized companies, the two sides opened a 360 million euro credit line in Hungary’s Eximbank, he said.

Szijjarto held a working breakfast with Babis and he is scheduled to meet Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mladek and Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka later in the day.

Photo: MTI

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