Hungary Presses for 'Bigger Steps' in Georgia Accession Talks
Image by Shutterstock.com
Hungary has and will continue to back "bigger steps" to advance the progress of European Union accession talks with Georgia, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a joint Hungarian-Georgian cabinet meeting in Tbilisi on Thursday.
Szijjártó said enlargement could give "new impetus" and "positive energy" to the EU, adding that Georgia was the kind of country that wanted to become an EU member and was developing rapidly.
He urged the EU to stop using a "double standard" in its dealings with Georgia, pointing to an earlier decision to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova but not Georgia.
"Georgia is in no worse shape than Ukraine or Moldova, so it deserves candidate status," he said.
Szijjártó said cooperation with Georgia would be "critical" for Europe's energy security in the future, noting an earlier agreement with the country on laying a submarine cable in the Black Sea that would bring green electricity from Azerbaijan to Hungary.
Bilateral trade between Hungary and Georgia reached a new record last year, he said. Infrastructure developments in Georgia offer Hungarian companies in water management and other industries "great opportunities", he added.
He said agreements would be signed soon on extending a program that awards 80 scholarships a year to Georgian students who enroll at Hungarian universities and on sustainable urban development and technology sharing.
Low Housing Construction Activity in Q1
CEETRA Celebrates Regional Brands in Budapest
SUPPORT THE BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For 27 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.
Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
