NEWS

At the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is paying his first official visit to the Republic of Slovenia today. The two Prime Ministers agreed that the relations between the two neighbouring countries are friendly and are also characterised by EU and NATO membership and by a desire for enhanced regional cooperation between Central European countries.

Prime Minister Janša and Prime Minister Orbán devoted special attention to the importance of their national minorities living in Slovenia and in Hungary. Both countries are interested in strengthening good neighbourly relations and developing the regions on both sides of the border. The conditions for life and the activities of both minorities are important and the objective of the discussions is to find ways to improve these conditions.  The two Prime Ministers also touched upon cross-border projects that could be financed from EU funds which would significantly contribute to their implementation.  

The two Prime Ministers also discussed the efforts to enhance the relations between the two countries and deepen economic cooperation. "Hungary is an important economic partner and there is a mutual interest to strengthen cooperation, " said Prime Minister Janša.  In this context he highlighted that in 2011, Hungary was the sixth most important foreign trade partner of Slovenia and that in 2010, the total value of trade in goods with Hungary amounted to more than EUR 1.5 billion. The two Prime Ministers also talked about the possibility of increasing the scope of investments and agreed that prosperity can only be increased through economic development. In this connection, the Hungarian Prime Minister stressed the importance of cooperation in infrastructure projects and the development of energy supply links. 

During their talks, they exchanged their views on tackling the economic and financial crisis. Prime Minister Janez Janša outlined the Slovenian Government's measures and efforts for stabilisation of the situation and creation of a more competitive environment for the revival of economic growth. In this light they expressed their support to the EU enlargement process and to the integration of Western Balkan countries into Euro-Atlantic structures. They assessed that cohesion funds are of key importance and expressed their resolve that the two countries will advocate a development-oriented EU multi-annual financial framework. “New jobs are of key importance for the exit from the crisis and for the provision of a stable political and social environment,” said Prime Minister Janša.

“Next year, Hungary will be the focal state of Central Europe,” said Prime Minister Janša, adding that Slovenia is very interested in further cooperation with the four countries of the Višegrad group. “We believe that we have a lot of common interests with these countries and we want to strengthen our position within the EU by exchanging views and implementing joint projects in this context,” said Prime Minister Janša. 

In response to the question on the Emonika project, Prime Minister Janša stressed that his Government strives to eliminate obstacles in order to make economic environment more investment-friendly. “The project is bringing a few thousand new jobs,“ emphasised Prime Minister Janša, adding that Slovenia is very much in need of such investments. Prime Minister Janša expressed his ”negative surprise” over the decision of the Municipality of Ljubljana refusing to reduce the building land development fee, which has increased considerably from the publishing of public tender in 2006 to the present time.   

On this occasion bilateral agreements, reflecting good relations and deepening cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic and cultural areas, were signed as well.   

Later on, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, will also meet with the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Danilo Türk, and the President of the National Assembly, Gregor Virant. As part of the visit, Prime Minister Orbán will also meet with the Hungarian national community living in Slovenia.