Stable Hungary benefits Hungarian communities beyond borders, says foreign minister

An economically stable Hungary, which is on a steady growth course, benefits Hungarian communities beyond the borders, too, the foreign minister said in Subotica/Szabadka, in northern Serbia, at an event hosted by the Prosperitati Foundation on Friday.

Péter Szijjártó addressed

the signing of contracts with winning applicants of the foundation’s regional economic development programme supported by the Hungarian government.

A stable and strong Hungary can help strengthen the Serbian economy, too, as the companies supported by the foundation pay taxes in Serbia, he added, and argued that the assisted companies pay their taxes to that country’s budget. Hungary is interested in a “strong, European Serbia” and will support Serbia’s EU integration by all means, he said.

Concerning details of the two-year programme, launched in 2016 in agreement with the Serbian government, Szijjártó said that the scheme was designed to provide an equivalent of 30 billion forints (EUR 96m) in grants and the same amount in subsidised loans to ethnic Hungarian businesses.