HUNGARY: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and his Slovenian counterpart Alenka Bratusek take part in inauguration ceremony of new road linking Hungary and Slovenia

Record ID: 564845

  • Title: HUNGARY: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and his Slovenian counterpart Alenka Bratusek take part in inauguration ceremony of new road linking Hungary and Slovenia
  • Date: 10th January 2014
  • Summary: KETVOLGY, HUNGARY (JANUARY 10, 2014) (REUTERS) CAR DRIVING ON NEW READ WITH PAN TO ROAD SIGN ROAD SIGN SHOWING HUNGARIAN AND SLOVENIAN BORDER TOWNS SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTER ALENKA BRATUSEK AND HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN CUTTING RIBBON OF NEW ROAD AND SHAKING HANDS MAP SHOWING BORDER AREA ORBAN AND BRATUSEK LOOKING AT MAP MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTER, ALENKA BRATUSEK, SAYING: "The construction of these few kilometers of road means a lot. It means that the wish that the Slovenes along the Raba river have been waiting for years is now fulfilled. For both Slovenia and Hungary a new connection has been made at the Raba region. The new infrastructure will greatly affect the development of the Raba region." ORBAN LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTER, ALENKA BRATUSEK, SAYING: "And last but not least, this is a concrete step for the closer co-operation between the nationalities living on the two sides of the Raba region." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "I would like to say thanks to Ms Prime Minister because she has at her heart the fate of the Hungarian community in Slovenia and has always done everything for them to feel at home." BRATUSEK LISTENING AND DELEGATIONS APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "It's very characteristic of us Hungarians that today we have inaugurated the road legally and you will use it legally and yet there are still some legal procedures against the road." VARIOUS OF DELEGATIONS WALKING ACROSS NEW ROAD CAR DRIVING OFF ON NEW ROAD
  • Embargoed: 25th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Hungary
  • Country: Hungary
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAD5SIB86QL7NZDLMNS36HWL52J
  • Story Text: A new border-crossing road opened on Friday (January 10) between Hungary and Slovenia after many years of delays.
    Slovenian prime minister Alenka Bratusek and her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban inaugurated the 5,1 km long road that will shorten the distance between the two countries' roads from 25 km to 5 km opening a new crossing between the two EU countries.
    "The construction of these few kilometers of road means a lot. It means that the wish that the Slovenes along the Raba river have been waiting for years is now fulfilled. For both Slovenia and Hungary a new connection has been made at the Raba region. The new infrastructure will greatly affect the development of the Raba region," Bratusek said in her speech at the inauguration ceremony.
    "And last but not least, this is a concrete step for the closer co-operation between the nationalities living on the two sides of the Raba region," Bratusek added.
    Slovenia has 6,200 ethnic Hungarian community members and about 3,500 ethnic Slovenians live in Hungary, according to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.
    Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban thanked his counterpart for ensuring harmony for the Hungarian minority in Slovenia.
    "I would like to say thanks for Ms Prime Minister because she has at her heart the fate of the Hungarian community in Slovenia and has always done everything for them to feel at home."
    Orban also said that they had agreed to open six more new border-crossing between the two countries by 2020. At present, with the new crossing there are eight crossings but more is needed to achieve the western European standards, Orban said.
    He recalled the unfortunate delays of the road constructions over the years. Orban said that since he has been PM the government has dealt with this road more than with any motorways.
    Planning began eleven years ago, the foundation stone was laid down in 2007, but nothing happened for years due to 'thick' bureaucracy, and 'mis-interpreted environmental concerns', Orban said in his speech.
    Earlier in the day, environmental protection group 'Vedegylet' issued a statement protesting against the opening as there were still legal procedures against the road, the group said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register