On Monday, prime ministers Viktor Orban of Hungary and Janez Jansa of Slovenia signed an agreement in Lendava on setting up a joint fund for the development of the Prekmurje and Raba regions.

Under the agreement, the fund will provide 5 million euros annually for each region – both having mixed ethnic populations – until 2026. After signing the document, Janez Jansa told a joint press conference with Viktor Orban that the first agreement on the protection of the respective minorities on the two sides of the Hungary-Slovenia border had been signed 30 years ago. The current agreement covers the as yet unaddressed issues, he added.

At the press briefing, the Slovenian prime minister spoke highly of Hungary’s economic development.

?? Viktor Orban: Zahvaljujem se ??slovenskemu predsedniku vlade @JJansaSDS in izražam zadovoljstvo, da smo vsi skupaj soglasni na področju manjšin, saj le-te krepijo tako Madžarsko kot Slovenijo. pic.twitter.com/PjSLt46a3j

— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) February 21, 2022

Mr Orban called the agreement signed before the press briefing important because in his view it strengthens the friendship and alliance between the two countries. He went on to say that we live in times when friendship is the most valuable currency and shared historical fate is the most precious commodity. Among future challenges, he mentioned the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as well as the shift in world economy. The latter, he believes, will favour the East to the detriment of the West. „It will be easier to find solutions together rather than separately” to these challenges, Viktor Orban said.