The agreement was announced by the country s foreign minister during his visit in Slovenia.

„Our interest is to ensure that our neighbours successfully defend themselves against the virus, because the healthier our neighbours are, the more secure we are,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said during his visit in Slovenia on Wednesday.

To this end, Hungary is lending 300 thousand AstraZeneca vaccines to Slovenia, Mr Szijjarto told a joint press briefing with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and Health Minister Janez Poklukar, in Ljubljana.

In a message posted on social media, FM Szijjarto emphasized that „there are enough jabs in Hungary to inoculate all registered Hungarians, so now we can help others.”

In Hungary, the number of vaccinated people stands at 5,206,951, out of which 3,694,602 have already received the second dose. 91 per cent of those who registered have got at least the first jab. The country has so many vaccines available that it does not take part in the next phase of Brussels central vaccine procurement, Gergely Gulyas, the Hungarian PM s office chief, told journalists on 20 May.

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Back then Mr Gulyas stressed that Hungary had ordered more than 10 million Covid-19 vaccines until the end of 2022, which would be enough to re-vaccinate everyone in case a third jab was needed, adding that Eastern vaccines were also available in Hungary.

PM Orban s office chief also underlined that, as part of the EU s central vaccine procurement, Hungary should pre-order and pay for 19 million Pfizer jabs, regardless of whether the vaccines are needed. Hungary cannot and does not want to participate in this „120-billion (forint) adventure,” partly because from the second half of 2022 it will likely be able to produce sufficient amounts of its own vaccine in a new factory to be built (in the eastern Hungarian city of) Debrecen, Mr Gulyas said.

In Slovenia, which boasts a population of just over 2 million, health authorities have inoculated 661,138 people until 31 May, of which 402,685 have already received the second jab. This is 38.2 and 23.3 per cent of the country s population, with regard to those eligible to receive the jab.