Next year, Central Europe will be given "a special focus" in Hungary's foreign policy, as the country will serve as president of both the Visegrad Four Cooperation and the Central European Initiative (CEI), Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zsolt Németh told a conference on Thursday.

The Hungarian official spoke at the event, titled “Central European year in Hungary's foreign policy”, held at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs.

State Secretary Németh noted that during these presidencies, Hungary aims to strengthen internal ties, develop cooperation to improve the situation of the poorest, jointly represent shared interests in the European Union, and increase the region's visibility in the world.

He stated that the CEI basically covers Eastern Europe, and as such, it is especially suited to enhance that region’s visibility in the world. He added, however, that unity among its members was inadequate and there were too many dividing lines.

Deputy State Secretary Gergely Prőhle referred to historic ties between countries of Central Europe, and said that both organizations sought to revive the region's historic trade routes.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)