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FMs of Hungary, Latvia agree on need to boost bilateral ties

Xinhua, December 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkevics agreed after their meeting here on Monday on the need to boost bilateral ties as well as the need for a strong European Union (EU).

Szijjarto called for an EU built upon strong members, and rejected federalism.

Rinkevics agreed that strong members were vital if the EU was to remain intact.

Szijjarto also supported closer cooperation between the Visegrad Group -- Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland -- and the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. As all countries are EU members, Szijjarto suggested that working together on the post-2020 EU budget would be good for everyone involved.

Speaking on Latvian-Hungarian bilateral relations, the Hungarian foreign minister said Eximbank was opening a 500-million-U.S.-dollar line of credit as an incentive to cooperation between Hungarian and Latvian businesses.

He also said Hungary had sent its air force to the Baltics last year to help monitor the region's air space and that the Visegrad countries would be sending a contingent of 150 soldiers to the Baltics next year.

He also underlined Hungary's support for Latvia becoming a non-permanent member of the United Nations' Security Council in 2026-2027.

Rinkevics thanked Hungary for participating in the air defense of the Baltic region and for the troops it would be sending. These measures, he said, worked to guarantee the security of the Baltic countries, which was particularly significant following events in eastern Ukraine. Endit