The Ministry of Foreign Affairs marks 20 years since the signing of the Declaration on the Romanian-Hungarian strategic cooperation and partnership for Europe of the 21st century, an essential document for the whole of Romanian-Hungarian bilateral relations, alongside the Treaty of Understanding, Cooperation and Good Neighborhood between Romania and Hungary, signed in 1996, in Timisoara, Agerpres reports.

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Strategic Partnership between Romania and Hungary is a fundamental instrument, aimed at structuring bilateral cooperation on new, modern bases, to support the development of cooperation on multiple levels.

„During these two decades, the Romanian side has consistently promoted an approach based on openness and pragmatism and pursued the identification and implementation of concrete cooperation projects, of interest to all citizens of Romania and Hungary, regardless of ethnicity. The framework offered by the bilateral Strategic Partnership led, for 20 years, to exceptional economic results, through the growth and diversification of commercial exchanges, which in 2021 reached a remarkable level of 11 billion euros, being on the rise including in the first part of the current year,” the press release states.

The same source mentions that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, reiterated, on the occasion of his visit to Budapest, on November 15, 2022, „the desire of the Romanian side to identify new opportunities for cooperation and development of joint projects, in collaboration with Hungarian partners, so that more substance is offered to the bilateral Strategic Partnership.”

„Also, he evoked the positive atmosphere at the moment of signing this important document, which conveyed the hope that the historical Romanian-Hungarian reconciliation will transform the bilateral relationship into a genuine strategic partnership, from which all Romanian and Hungarian citizens will benefit, regardless of ethnicity. This aspiration remains valid even today, being the duty of the Romanian and Hungarian authorities to pursue the successful fulfillment of this objective. Romania will continue to act so that the Romanian-Hungarian Partnership and good neighborly relations know a development dynamic, based on principles such as mutual respect and trust,” the MAE also shows.

Agerpres