Hungarian FM vows to assist Georgia in opening EU accession talks

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Friday said his country’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union would focus on opening the EU accession talks with Georgia.

In his comments Szijjártó reviewed the matters related to Hungary's presidency of the Council of the EU and the enlargement of the bloc, and added the bloc’s enlargement was the “best tool” to make the EU stronger, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

Szijjártó said Hungary was one of the “leading supporters” of Georgia on granting the country EU membership candidate status, which was “deservedly received” in December.

The official also discussed energy security and noted that Georgia played an “important role and function” in this regard, as it was “clear” that the European continent could not provide its own energy supply and required external resources.

He said the Caucasus region, with its “abundance” of renewable energy sources, offered Europe “ecologically clean” renewable energy, and added a quadrilateral agreement between Georgia, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Romania would come into play next week allowing the import of renewable energy, such as wind, from Georgia and Azerbaijan, via Romania and Bulgaria, to Europe.