Hungarian foreign minister discusses cooperation in Slovenia

Ljubljana, April 6 (MTI) – There are three joint projects under way between Hungary and Slovenia which serve Hungary’s interests and energy security to a significant degree, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said after talks with Karl Erjavec, his Slovenian counterpart, in Ljubljana on Thursday.

Projects to build a link between the gas networks and the power grids of the two countries are ongoing, Szijjártó told MTI by phone.

“This way we’ll be able to transmit 1.3 billion cubic metres of gas between Hungary and Slovenia within a few years,” Szijjártó said. As regards linking the two countries’ power grids, the minister noted the project has already been completed on Hungary’s side and is due to be completed in Slovenia by the end of 2018.

Further, there is a project to upgrade Koper harbour and a connecting railway line. He said Koper harbour was crucial for Hungary’s exporters, adding it was in the national interest to contribute financially to those projects. Hungary’s gains would be that its companies could establish a presence in the harbour, contribute to the upgrade of the railway line and Hungarian rail freight transport companies could be involved in the holding built around the project, Szijjártó said.

The two ministers also reached an agreement to open two new border crossing points between their countries. By late 2019, there will be a continuous motorway link between Budapest and Ljubljana, as by then the last Hungarian section of the motorway will be expanded to have two lanes in each direction, Szijjártó said.