FM Szijjarto: Hungary to Veto EU Sanctions Against Georgia Officials If Necessary

Hungary’s government believes the European Union’s proposal to impose sanctions on Georgia’s interior minister and two police officials is nonsensical and uncalled for, and will veto the motion if necessary, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in Budapest on Tuesday.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili (Source: Facebook/Peter Szijjarto)

He encouraged Georgians to continue to stand up for themselves and their national sovereignty. "Our experience over the past 14-15 years shows that we should always look at what people want, not what they want to impose on us from outside, from different centers of power," he said. 

As regards bilateral relations, he welcomed the progress made on the implementation of a strategic partnership agreement signed two years ago.

Bilateral trade turnover is up 34 percent this year, and Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air remains a market leader in Georgia’s air travel sector, Peter Szijjarto said. Hungarian pharmaceutical exports to Georgia are on the rise, Hungary offers university scholarships to eighty Georgian students each year, and the two countries are working to enable the central European import of green energy, he added.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili (Source: Facebook/Peter Szijjarto)