Today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the bilateral meeting between Minister Di Maio and the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, visiting Italy, took place at the Farnesina, seat of the Ministry.
Minister Di Maio, first, thanked Minister Szijjártó for the solidarity shown by the Hungarian Government that, in the most acute phase of the health crisis, donated 100,000 health masks and 5,000 protective suits to Italy. Minister Di Maio welcomed the reopening of the Hungarian borders on 18 June and the reactivation of direct flights between Italy and Hungary. Such measures will ensure mobility, tourist flows and the protection of citizens’ health within the homogeneous framework of clear rules agreed at EU level.
Looking at the post-COVID19 reconstruction, Minister Di Maio expressed to his Hungarian colleague the firm hope that the EU as a whole will take up the challenge of providing the Member States with an ambitious project for growth that leaves no one behind. Italy considers the package of measures proposed by the European Commission to be adequate. The Minister stated that our country would work hard to ensure that the negotiations on the Recovery Fund are concluded as soon as possible with a fair and shared agreement.
The meeting also confirmed the convergence of views between Rome and Budapest on enlargement to the Western Balkans. The two countries welcome the recent opening of negotiations in Albania and North Macedonia and the hope that progress will soon be made on Serbia and Montenegro.
On the bilateral level, finally, the two Ministers recalled the solidity of economic and trade relations, which see Italy among Hungary’s first partners, with encouraging prospects for further deepening.
