Hungary to grant visa preferences to Turkish businesspeople

Ankara, 2017. március 3. A Külgazdasági és Külügyminisztérium (KKM) által közreadott képen Mevlüt Cavusoglu török külügyminiszter (j) fogadja Szijjártó Péter külgazdasági és külügyminisztert Ankarában 2017. március 3-án. MTI Fotó: KKM/Szabó Árpád

Ankara, March 3 (MTI) – Hungary will offer special visa preferences to Turkish businesspeople and economic players since Turkey has granted visa waiver status to Hungary, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.

The planned preferences are one of nine measures included in the protocol of the Hungarian-Turkish mixed economic committee meeting held on Thursday and Friday, Szijjártó told MTI in Ankara.

The aim is to boost bilateral trade to total 5 billion dollars annually from the current 3 billion dollars, Szijjártó said.

He noted the 255 million euro credit line to be opened by Hungary’s Eximbank to promote Hungarian and Turkish business partnerships.

Szijjártó said that Budapest had asked Ankara’s support in involving the state-owned Hungarian Electricity Works (MVM) in infrastructure projects as well as with the introduction of oil and gas company MOL’s products on local markets.

Hungary’s government has awarded a 5 million euro grant to Turkey’s Ravaber for the construction of a 22.5 million euro insulation plant in Miskolc, in north-eastern Hungary, that will create 107 jobs, he said.

The government wants to give further incentives for cooperation between Hungarian and Turkish research institutes in the farming sector, and it wants to export more Hungarian cattle to Turkey, the minister said.

He noted that talks are underway on the construction of a biological water purification system and upgrades to Ankara’s water network by the Budapest Waterworks.

Hungary wants to train nuclear experts who will work at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant which is under construction, Szijjártó said.

Concerning current issues, Szijjártó said that stability and a stable leadership in Turkey were in the interest of Hungary, and Europe as a whole, adding that Europe’s stability hinged on its agreement reached with Turkey on migrants last March.

He said that a high-level strategic meeting of the two countries’ prime ministers and cabinet members would be held in Turkey in late April or in early May.

Before Friday’s meeting, Szijjártó held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.