Following the "Transatlantic Dinner" hosted in Rome, Foreign Minister János Martonyi told the press that Secretary of State John Kerry had stressed his commitment to cooperating with Europe.

Minister Martonyi said that relations between the US and Europe, the Mid-East crisis and the conflict in Syria had been the main topics of the discussion. In the opinion of the Hungarian Foreign Minister, John Kerry emphasizing his European family background was a political message highlighting his commitment to cooperating with Europe. He added that the discussion revealed: climate change and energy policy were priorities for the US administration.

The Transatlantic Dinner was attended by representatives of NATO and EU states, as well as of Switzerland and Macedonia. NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton were also present.

In his speech, János Martonyi spoke about the Transatlantic commercial and investment partnership and declared that though the upcoming free trade talks could be difficult, the stakes were high for both the US and the EU.
Linked to the event, the Hungarian Foreign Minister also held talks with his Slovak and Romanian counterparts.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs/MTI)