Hungary, China sign Silk Road Economic Belt MoU

Budapest, June 6 (MTI) – The foreign ministers of Hungary and China signed a memorandum of understanding on the governments’ active support for the establishment of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Maritime Silk Road, in Budapest on Saturday.

The declaration was signed by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

The projects, which aim to foster connectivity and cooperation between the countries along the old Silk Road as well as between Southeast Asia, Oceania, and North Africa, are being financed by the Silk Road Fund, which has already been capitalised with some 40 billion dollars from Beijing.

Szijjarto said the significance of Hungary’s bilateral cooperation with China was evidenced by the fact that it is the first country with whom China has signed an agreement on the projects’ implementation.

Wang Yi said relations between Hungary and China were in their best period ever, thanks to the efforts of both countries. He praised the Hungarian government’s policy of opening up to countries in the east, and said Hungary could play the role of bridgehead between China and the European Union.

He said an earlier meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban had strengthened the confidence the two countries share in each other.

Making Hungary China’s bridgehead into Europe as well as a regional centre is a foreign policy priority, Szijjarto said.

Hungary’s and China’s cooperation has never before been so good and so effective, Szijjarto said, adding that Hungary wished to remain the “flagship” for China’s cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe.