The Prime Minister’s spokesman told a press conference in Budapest on Thursday that the Government is ready to start negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union at any moment.

Péter Szijjártó said that ‘It is in our interest to start the negotiations as soon as possible,’ and he said that Hungary is absolutely committed to come to an agreement as soon as it can. He added that Hungary’s macroeconomic data was encouraging and improving.

He said that according to the most important economic indicators, Hungary is in the best-performing quartile among Member States, with government debt falling, employment increasing and a budget deficit of under three per cent.

Mr Szijjártó said that at the next cabinet meeting minister without portfolio Tamás Fellegi was expected to give an account of his negotiations in the United States.

On Tuesday the Hungarian press agency MTI reported that chief negotiator Tamás Fellegi is taking part in informal talks with IMF representatives in Washington this week, and will participate in a conference there at which there will be discussions on certain important economic and domestic political questions in Hungary.

(kormany.hu)