Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán has held talks with her Slovenian counterpart, Tone Kajzer, in Ljubljana, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations, expanding economic cooperation and improving cross-border infrastructure.

Following the meeting, Orbán announced that she had accepted an invitation to attend Slovenia’s annual Ambassadors’ Conference later this month, where Slovenian ambassadors and consuls from around the world gather to set the country’s diplomatic, economic and security priorities for the coming year.

According to the foreign minister, economic ties between the two neighbours continue to strengthen. Bilateral trade exceeded EUR 4.6 billion in 2025, while Hungary has become Slovenia’s fourth-largest foreign investor, making further economic cooperation a key topic during the discussions.

Orbán welcomed the Slovenian National Assembly’s intention to establish a parliamentary friendship group dedicated to Hungary. She said the Hungarian Parliament also supports creating a Slovenia friendship group, arguing that strong neighbourly relations require not only government-level cooperation but also regular parliamentary and people-to-people dialogue.

The ministers also highlighted the easing of border travel after Slovenia lifted temporary border checks with Hungary in June, ending controls that had been in place since 2023. The move has made travel easier for commuters, businesses, border communities and tourists.

Attention is now turning to improving transport infrastructure, including rail connections between the two countries. Orbán also revealed that the two countries’ transmission system operators are examining the technical and economic feasibility of a planned natural gas interconnector.

Security cooperation also featured prominently in the talks. Orbán said Hungary and Slovenia, as NATO allies and Central European partners, had already demonstrated the value of their cooperation during this spring’s Middle East crisis.

She praised the Regional Consular Crisis Management Cooperation, launched at Slovenia’s initiative, which helped both countries evacuate their citizens safely from the region. She added that both governments intend to further strengthen this practical cooperation for future emergencies.

As part of her visit, Orbán also travelled to Hodoš (Hodos), where she met members of Slovenia’s Hungarian minority. She highlighted the importance of the Hungarian–Slovenian Joint Fund, which finances educational, cultural, tourism and local economic development projects in border regions inhabited by the Hungarian minority in Slovenia and the Slovenian minority in Hungary.

The minister visited the recently renovated and expanded Hodoš Youth Centre, one of the projects supported by the fund. She also noted that the programme is helping restore the historic Filó Mill in Felsőszölnök, the only remaining Slovenian mill in Hungary’s Rába Valley.

According to Orbán, the fund aims to improve living conditions on both sides of the border while helping local communities preserve their national identity.

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During her visit, Orbán laid a wreath at the bust of Mária Pozsonec, the first representative of Slovenia’s Hungarian community in the Slovenian National Assembly, where she served between 1992 and 2008.

The foreign minister praised Pozsonec’s decades of work in protecting the Hungarian language, culture and political representation in Slovenia.

Orbán also announced that the Hungarian Cultural Institute (Liszt Institute) in Ljubljana will host a joint exhibition showcasing the Hungarian community in Slovenia and the Slovenian community in Hungary during the Slovenian Ambassadors’ Conference.

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