Hungary to restore diplomatic presence in Estonia from August

Tallinn (MTI) – Hungary will restore its permanent diplomatic presence in Estonia in line with a decision to come in force on August 1, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee said on Friday.

As the closure of Hungary’s embassy in Tallinn two years ago burdened relations, it is a welcome development that the situation is set to be resolved, Zsolt Németh told MTI by phone during a visit to Tallinn.

From August on, both countries will station a diplomat in the cultural institutions that continued to operate in one another’s capital even after the embassies were closed, he added.

Hungary and Estonia will celebrate the 25th anniversary of re-establishing diplomatic relations this year. In 2018, Estonia will mark the centenary of its independence and hold the rotating presidency of the European Union, he said.

Estonia sees the threat posed by Russia as the key foreign policy issue, and Hungary, in line with the principles of solidarity between NATO allies and due to bilateral relations, considers it a basic obligation to support it, Németh said. The Visegrad countries will contribute a military unit to be stationed in the area in 2017, he said

The two sides agreed that the Finno-Ugric heritage is an important tie between Finland, Estonia, Hungary and ethnic kin communities living in Russia.

Németh held talks in Tallinn with Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand, head of the Estonian parliament’s foreign affairs committee Sven Mikser and head of parliament’s defence committee Marko Mihkelson.

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