Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Friday met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto at the Goričan-Letenye border crossing.
After touring the border crossing, the two ministers exchanged views on the measures their respective countries are taking in the fight against COVID-19. They agreed to continue cooperating in making life easier for the people living in border areas. The measures allowing border crossing for the people who own land or work in the other country were agreed upon as early as end-March and the two ministers confirmed their continued implementation.
Grlić Radman and Szijjarto also discussed other bilateral matters, expressing hope that the situation would return to normal soon so that work on joint projects could continue. They agreed that it was of vital importance to cherish good neighbourly cooperation in these trying times and help citizens weather the crisis.
In addition, Grlić Radman and Szijjarto underscored that the two countries' respective national minorities represented an invaluable link, expressing satisfaction with the level of national minority rights. There are about 50,000 Croats living in Hungary. Grlić Radman recalled the recently passed Declaration of the Croatian Minority Self-Government on the Nationality of Hungary's Bunjevci, which states that Bunjevci indisputably belong to the Croatian ethic group, as confirmed in the recent years by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences as well as the Hungarian Parliament.
Grlić Radman once again thanked Hungary for donating protective gear and for its assistance after the earthquake in Zagreb. He stressed that Hungary had also donated additional protective and medical equipment to Osijek hospital.