The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, today paid an official visit to the Republic of Hungary, where he was hosted by the Hungarian Prime Minister, Gordon Bajnai.  On his visit to Budapest, Prime Minister Pahor was accompanied by the Minister of the Economy, Matej Lahovnik, the Minister without Portfolio Responsible for Slovenes Abroad, Boštjan Žekš, and a sizeable business delegation.
 

(Foto: Bor Slana/Bobo)

 
Prime Minister Pahor assessed the short visit as highly successful, saying that he was pleased with the talks: "There was plenty of good will, which is of vital importance for continuing the already good cooperation between the two countries."

 
The prime ministers agreed that mutual relations between the two countries were excellent and could be further upgraded through enhanced economic cooperation. They also agreed that Hungary and Slovenia should join forces in various projects, especially in the area of transport and energy, highlighting the importance of railway infrastructure and projects that have been particularly affected by the financial and economic crisis. They stressed that today’s signing of a memorandum on constructing a pipeline was a step in the right direction towards upgrading economic relations. In their talks, they also touched on the issue of minorities, agreeing that relations between them are vital to strengthening relations between the two countries.
 
At the end of the meeting, Mr Pahor and Mr Bajnai announced that the Slovenian and Hungarian governments would hold their second joint session in autumn, saying that they hoped that all the resolutions adopted at the first joint session held in October 2007 would materialise.

(Foto: Bor Slana/Bobo)

  
Prime Minister Pahor, together with Prime Minister Bajnai, then attended the Slovenian-Hungarian Business Forum, had a meeting with the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, Katalin Szili, and laid a wreath at Heroes’ Square.