Szijjarto: Eurasian free trade area in Hungary, Europe's interest

Revisiting the concept of a Eurasian free trade area is in the interests of Hungary and Europe as a whole, the foreign minister said in Bratislava on Monday. Peter Szijjarto participated in a meeting focusing on trade, energy affairs and security issues attended by the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group, the Eastern Partnership countries and Romania, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency. Szijjarto said it was "clearly in Europe's interest" to develop close cooperation with the most important global economic players, adding this meant that the continent should revisit the idea of establishing a Eurasian free trade area which would also serve Hungary's economic interests. Hungary has annual trade turnover of 1,300 billion forints (EUR 4bn) with the six countries of the Eastern Partnership, Szijjarto said, adding that the fewer bureaucratic obstacles they faced the better.