Sri Lankan foreign minister held talks in Budapest

The fight against terrorism is never unfinished business and Hungary is committed to the fight, Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, said on Friday after meeting his Sri Lankan counterpart.

At a joint press conference, Szijjártó said

the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka at Easter were yet another reminder of the importance of this fight,

adding that the attacks had concentrated on Christian communities celebrating Easter. Christians, he said, were among the world’s most persecuted religious communities.

Szijjártó said it must not be accepted that anti-Christianity “is seen as the last acceptable form of discrimination” but this problem was rarely addressed due to “political correctness and hypocrisy”.

He expressed condolences and solidarity to the government and people of Sri Lanka as well as appreciation for the measures taken by the Sri Lankan government to target the perpetrators of terrorist attacks. The rebuilding of the damaged Catholic churches has begun, he added.

Szijjártó noted that

Hungary donated 20 million forints (EUR 62,000) of emergency aid after the attacks.

Meanwhile, the minister also referred to economic ties based on a 47.5 billion forint loan scheme for Hungarian companies building motorway bridges, developing the water network, renewing rail crossings and modernising Sri Lanka’s court system. Also, Hungary’s Eximbank has extended a credit line of 90 million euros to boost cooperation between Hungarian and Sri Lankan companies, he added.

Hungary also calls on the European Union to enhance its support for Sri Lanka, Szijjártó said.

Tilak Marapana said Sri Lanka was committed to building ties with European countries and Hungary was one of its key partners.

He noted that coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

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Source: MTI