Financial stability has been achieved in Hungary without any kind of social or political problems, Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi said in an interview to a Chilean daily.

“It is apparent that everyone expects growth to take off. This, luckily, began to occur in 2013. In 2014, forecasts indicate that we can expect growth of 2 percent,” Martonyi told El Mercurio in an interview published on 11 January 2013. He added that the Government had avoided placing any extra burdens on ordinary Hungarians.

Minister Martonyi told the paper that several of Hungary’s embassies and consulates had been closed five years ago under the pressure of the economic crisis, and diplomatic missions had ceased to operate in twelve countries altogether. But now the situation has improved and Hungary would like to reopen them, and this applies to Chile too, he said during a visit to the South American country.

He said that, based on his impressions during his visit, the country had similar attributes, both countries being among the world’s most open economies, for example.

“Close to one hundred percent of our GDP comes from exports. We are a member of the European Union, and at the same time we are open to the other countries of the world,” he said.

“It is undoubtedly the case that we would like to diversify our trade and relations with the world beyond Europe since we belong to those EU countries that have strongly integrated with the bloc: as a result, 76-78 percent of our exports are destined for this group of countries. We are now interested in developing our ties with countries in Asia, Africa, and, naturally, Latin America,” Minister Martonyi told the paper.

As a medium-sized country in Europe, Hungary is an ideal partner for Chile, he said, adding that Hungary is preparing a related initiative in the area of education, and in particular a higher-education scholarship program for Chilean students.

Hungary is also ready to cooperate in several other areas, he said, noting opportunities within the fields of renewable energy, water management, pharmaceuticals, the food industry, agriculture and biotechnology.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)