Foreign minister: National interests in focus of Hungary’s diplomacy in 2017 – VIDEO

Budapest (MTI) – Hungary’s diplomacy will continue to focus on “the sole purpose” of promoting national interests in the country’s foreign policy, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a press conference on Friday.

Hungary seeks balanced relations with powers of a significant impact on the region, such as the United States, Russia, Germany, China and Turkey, he said.

Concerning 2017, Szijjártó said the year would “certainly be one of the most exciting” since the Cold War, with the new US administration, a possible thawing in US-Russia relations, tensions between the EU and Russia and China’s “economic expansion” in the focus, Szijjártó said.

Among diplomatic events of the first half of the year the minister mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit, at which leaders of the two countries will discuss economic, energy and cultural issues. Concerning details of the visit, Szijjártó said that Putin would arrive at midday on February 2, and have a closed door meeting, a plenary discussion and an international press conference in the afternoon.

Szijjártó also announced that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will visit China in May, and have talks with the Chinese president. He added that Hungary would host a central and eastern Europe – China meeting later in the year.

On top of those events, 2017 will see summits with the Turkish, Serbian, and Slovenian governments, and a visit by the Israeli prime minister, Szijjártó said.

In summer, Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the Visegrád cooperation, and focus on construction of the missing North-South links, switch-over to a digital economy, energy security and Brexit-related issues, he said.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI