Orbán calls for closer Hungary-Belarus ties

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán urged the development of political and business ties with Belarus during talks with President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk on Friday.

At the start of the talks during which reporters were present, Orbán called it an honour to be the first Hungarian prime minister to pay an official visit to Minsk. “We have owed this visit for a long time,” Orbán said, adding that he hoped Lukashenko, who last visited Budapest in 1994, would soon return the gesture.

There are no unresolved issues or conflicting political interests between the two countries, Orbán said, noting a “mutual respect” in bilateral ties.

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“In principle, all is well,” Orbán said, adding however that bilateral potentials were not being fully realised.

“Our political ties are not close enough … and the volume of economic cooperation is also poor,” he said. Belarus is a highly developed country with respected engineering and food industries, as well as cultural and sports achievements, Orbán said.

“I have come with an sincere commitment to cooperate,” the prime minister said, adding that he hoped that the talks would mark a milestone in relations.

Lukashenko agreed that political and economic ties were not as strong as they could be, especially when it came to the low turnover of bilateral trade. Both countries, he said, should do everything to promote bilateral relations as well as ties between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. Belarus, he added, would meet all its related obligations.

Source: MTI