Ohrid, 27 September 2024 (MIA) – North Macedonia and Hungary will hold a joint intergovernmental session Friday in Ohrid following a tête-à-tête meeting of the countries’ prime ministers, Hristijan Mickoski and Viktor Orbán.

PMs Mickoski and Orbán will hold a news conference after the session, held at Inex Olgica hotel. 

The Hungarian premier, who is leading a government delegation, kicked off his visit to the country on Thursday. 

Hungary currently holds the EU presidency and Orbán also serves as chairman of the Council of the European Union in the second half of this year. 

On the sidelines of the two-day visit, a tour of Ohrid will take place, as well as a visit of Bogorodica Perivlepta church, the Antique Theater, St. Naum monastery and the two prime ministers will also lay wreaths at the Ss. Cyril and Methodious monument in Ohrid, said the government. 

Intensive security measures and temporary traffic rules are in place in Ohrid ahead of and during the visit.

During the NATO summit in Washington in early July, Mickoski and Orbán agreed on a loan from Hungary in the amount of EUR 500 million. The Parliament on September 17 adopted in a fast-track procedure the law on the loan from the Hungarian government. 

The loan from the Export-Import Bank Hungary will be withdrawn in a single tranche, with a 15-year repayment period and a three-year grace period, at a fixed interest rate of 3.25 percent. It will be repaid in 24 semi-annual instalments, due on February 15 and August 15 of each year.

During the discussion in the Parliament, the opposition accused at the time that the loan agreement was made behind closed doors, with utterly suspicious intentions, leading to enormous political and economic consequences and enormous increase of the public debt.

Orbán previously paid an official visit to the country in 2013, when he received the “September 8” Order for outstanding merit for the development and strengthening of friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries. The order was presented by then-President Gjorgje Ivanov, and Orbán also held meetings with the Prime Minister at the time, Nikola Gruevski. ba/nn/

MIA file photo