“In terms of our country’s trade with Hungary, in the last five years, we have seen a significant improvement, but we aim to continue increasing it and see more Maltese businesses also opening in this European Union country”, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg said during a bilateral meeting he had in Malta with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Energy Trade Péter Szijjártó.
Minister Borg said that there are currently three established Maltese companies operating, namely in the fields of hospitality, ophthalmology and in human capital. He went on to say that he believes that there are more sectors that Malta can offer its experience in, namely in English teaching, where our country is considered a center of excellence. Dr Borg reiterated how the Maltese Government is ready to continue to facilitate more cooperation with Hungary for the possibility of more students choosing our country as their destination to increase their skills in this language. The potential for collaboration on consular work between the two countries was also discussed.
The ministers for foreign affairs also discussed the issue of immigration and the need for the European Union and all member states to offer their helping hand of friendship so that the values of solidarity can really be put into practice.
As 2023 is closer, Minister Borg took this opportunity to explain in more detail the priorities that Malta has on the United Nations Security Council. He said that Malta will be pushing forward the areas of literacy and education, the subject of the involvement of children affected by conflict, the role of women in strengthening peace and security, and the impact of climate change on small islands. During this meeting, the latest developments related to the energy crisis, the bilateral relations between the two countries and the sanctions being imposed on the Russian Federation were also discussed.
Minister Péter Szijjártó reiterated that it is an honour for him to be in our country and he claimed that it is essential that these visits continue to be made from time to time in order to continue strengthening the relations between us. He claimed that with the introduction of Wizz Air in our country, an encouraging number of tourists took place, and the Hungarian Government will continue to see that Malta continues to be one of the preferred destinations for Hungarian tourists. He recalled how the two countries have a number of similarities and hence it is important to have an open means of communication in order to improve cooperation.
