Formerly a spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Szijjártó was promoted to the Foreign Trade Ministry in June 2012. Prior to the 2008 national elections, he was the parliamentary group spokesman for then-opposition party Fidesz.
Szijjártó’s itinerary included, among others, official visits to Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Georgia, India, Israel, Kuwait, Montenegro, Nigeria, Qatar, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Hungarian exports to these countries rose markedly after Szijjártó’s visits, the ministry claimed, stating that exports to Nigeria jumped 49%, to Vietnam a “sharp” 44% and to Montenegro a like 44%.
The ‘paper further rather ostentatiously and seemingly without irony pointed out that “Szijjártó’s per diem allowance is net €36, the same as everybody else who travels for the government, from the prime minister to a delegation assistant.”
— material from MTI was used in this article
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