Hungary opened a credit line of 255 million Euros for Tunisian companies to promote exports in both directions, announced Monday in Tunis, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto.
“This credit will help Tunisian companies to have the necessary foreign exchange liquidity in these difficult economic times, to create joint ventures and to promote trade,” he added after his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Khemaïes Jhinaoui.
The visit of the Hungarian Minister took place six months after the visit paid by Khemaïes Jhinaoui to Budapest.
This visit reflects the two countries’ keenness to strengthen cooperation relations in vital and highly strategic fields, including agriculture, tourism, investment, trade, higher education and scientific research.
In addition, Szijjarto said his country is encouraging, today, the return of Hungarian tourists to Tunisia thanks to the control of the terrorist danger in Tunisia, announcing the launch in May of charter flights to Tunisia, with 5 flights per week.
“Recently meeting in Paris, the Hungarian tour operators decided to increase their tourist activities towards Tunisia during the 2017 season,” he added in substance.
The Hungarian foreign Minister announced an increase in the number of university scholarships granted to Tunisian students who wish to pursue their studies in Hungary. This number has been increased to 155 and this number is expected to increase as the number of students increases.
As regards the fight against terrorism, the Hungarian Minister underlined his country’s readiness to strengthen cooperation with Tunisia by promoting the training of security executives, the transfer of necessary technologies in this field and the contribution to secure the Tunisian-Libyan borders.
According to Khemaïes Jhinaoui, two memoranda of understanding were signed between the two countries: the first deals with strengthening diplomatic and political consultations and the second with the development of the security cooperation.
The first agreement was signed between the two countries’ foreign ministries, while the second between the two countries’ interior departments.
He also said that the meeting with his Hungarian counterpart was on occasion to give an overview of the regional and international issues of mutual interest, in particular the developments of the situation in Libya and Syria and the issues of terrorism and migration.
