Hungary rebuilding ties with Armenia

Hungary remains committed to rebuilding relations with Armenia, and after a ten-year hiatus the sides are preparing cooperation that serves the interests of both countries, the foreign minister said in Yerevan on Friday.

At a joint press conference with Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Péter Szijjártó said that the current meeting had “put an end to a long ordeal” involving ten years without diplomatic ties between the two countries. Last year, the sides decided to normalise relations and build cooperation that serves both countries’ interests, he added.

Christianity was a great help, with both Hungary and Armenia having a long-standing Christian heritage, he said. The Christian church in Armenia played an important role in rebuilding ties, he added.

“We naturally tried to demonstrate our goodwill earlier, too, and held talks with our friends in Azerbaijan which enabled us to transport home five Armenian prisoners of war at the end of 2021,” he said.

Additionally, the government provided 116 million forints (EUR 300,000) to families moving from the Nagorno-Karabakh region to Armenia and offered 100,000 vaccines to help protection during the coronavirus pandemic, Szijjártó said.

Hungary remains committed to rebuilding ties and is now providing 40 million forints support to families moving away from Nagorno-Karabakh, also contributing to their medical services and offering summer camps to their children next year, he said.