Péter Szijjártó, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations, emphasized that the Government had reorganized the country’s economy to enable growth, pointing out that when the Government took power Hungary was suffering from such a large level of debt that made growth impossible.

He said that even though Hungary is not part of the eurozone, the euro crisis still had a significant impact on the country, but that the work completed will give hope for growth in 2013.

The State Secretary declared that the Government was one of very few EU countries to have successfully reduced state debt, and the available resources may be used for economic development.

Referring to the strategic agreement made with IBM Hungary Ltd. he expressed that the company provides livelihoods for 5000 people in Hungary of which 4000 people work in sectors with high added value.

He stated that in the strategic agreements the Government concentrates on cooperation concerning the partner company's research and development activities in order to attract regional innovation, and on facilitating the participation of small and medium-sized companies in the supply chains.

According to the State Secretary, the agreements with international companies enable employment growth and create an attractive investment climate. He added that the strategic agreements mean not only alliances with international companies, but also with the Hungarian small and medium-sized companies.

He said that further strategic agreements will also be concluded; the next one will be signed with the Hungarian affiliate of the Indian Tata company.

(Prime Minister's Office)