Rasi in Budapest: Excellent Relations in All Areas of Cooperation

Budapest/Bratislava, May 13 (TASR-correspondent) - Relations between Slovakia and Hungary are excellent at the level of governments, parliaments and in all areas of mutual cooperation, House Chair Richard Rasi stated in Budapest on Tuesday after meeting his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Kover, the special TASR correspondent stationed in Budapest has reported. According to Rasi, the most tangible results of Slovak-Hungarian cooperation are the roads and bridges connecting the two countries. "Many of them have been built thanks to cross-border cooperation projects. In the past 15 years, nearly 20 new connections have been created between Slovakia and Hungary," he specified. "That we have a lot in common and help each other is also proven by Hungary's assistance in transporting natural gas to Slovakia. We also thank Hungary for helping to protect our airspace, while conversely, the commander of NATO's multinational forces in Hungary is a Slovak general," said Rasi. Rasi noted that Slovakia and Hungary share common challenges along with views on how to resolve migration and the migration crises that have affected Europe in the past and are likely to do so in the future. "We also share the same stance on EU enlargement, which we believe is necessary, but must also be fair and respect all accession rules," pointed out the Slovak House chair. Kover highlighted that Slovakia is Hungary's third most important trading partner, while from Slovakia's perspective, Hungary is its fourth most significant partner. "Our geographical location, economic structure and the challenges facing our countries are very similar, which is why we must also cooperate in addressing these challenges," said the speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, stressing the importance of cooperation especially in the field of energy. According to him, the statements made by the prime ministers of Slovakia and Hungary show that the two countries share a similar vision for the future of the European Union. "We want a strong Union, but one that can only be built on the foundation of strong nation states," emphasised Kover. Rasi was set to be received by Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the afternoon. mf/df