Slovenian, Hungarian PMs Open Key Motorway Sections
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsany launched on Tuesday two key motorway sections on each side of the border that connect the two countries by motorway for the first time. The pair used the occasion for talks on bilateral relations, which both said were good.
The sections between the NE town of Lendava and the Pince border crossing, and the Pince-Tornyszentmiklos section in Hungary, connect the motorway networks of the two countries. Only a 20-kilometre section is missing to complete the entire east-west motorway axis through Slovenia.
The completion of the final stretch of motorway in the eastern region of Prekmurje next month will be a landmark, as Budapest will have a modern motorway connection to the Adriatic Sea for the first time, Jansa said after talks with Gyurcsany.
He said this would be a model for further cooperation, in particular in infrastructure. The two countries want to link up the power grids, gas pipelines and the rail network. Jansa said the talks that the two governments started last autumn with a joint session on both sides of the border would continue.
According to Gyurcsany, Hungary's motorway link with the Adriatic is a historical step and creates new opportunities for coming generations.
The Slovenian prime minister further noted that the volume of bilateral trade had gone up by 30% in 2007 and was on track to increase 20% this year. This shows that untapped opportunities discussed last year have been discovered and are being exploited, he said.
Jansa and Gyurcsany also discussed the problems of minorities in the respective countries. "After the joint meeting last year we set some new goals that we have been fulfilling. It has been agreed that the next joint session will be held next spring," Jansa said.
Jansa used the opportunity to thank Gyurcsany for Hungary's support during Slovenia's six-month presidency of the EU in the first half of this year. "We were firm allies, in particular in dealing with demanding situations in Western Balkans, where we approached the final solution - permanent stability."
Gyurcsany said that Slovenia had done a lot during its presidency.
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