Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, who is in the Romanian capital attending an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, discussed, amongst others, the health risks caused by illegal migration processes with Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea at a meeting in Bucharest on 31 January 2019. The Hungarian Foreign Minister reported on the fact that he and Sorina Pintea had agreed that illegal migration processes represent an extremely high health risk, because immigrants are bringing rare and/or unknown pathogens and tropical viruses with them into Europe. “We agreed that we will be procuring the vaccines that provide protection against rare pathogens and viruses jointly, and will be coordinating our healthcare-related positions in international organisations”.

At the meeting, it was also discussed that one of the major markets of the portfolio of Hungarian pharmaceuticals company Richter is Romania, as also corroborated by the fact that the company operates a pharmaceuticals plant in Târgu Mureș, where it employs 560 people, and Hungary exports some 360 million euros worth of pharmaceuticals to Romania.

After the discussion, Péter Szijjártó also reflected on the situation of MOGYE (University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Târgu Mureş) asked by ETV.  The Minister stated that “UDMR representing the Hungarian community has so far requested that the university issue be discussed locally, but in case UDMR so requests, Hungary will also act on governmental level for the Hungarian faculty to be established at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, as it was in the case of the Catholic School in Târgu Mureş. The possibility of settling this particular case has already been raised to the Romanian party. ”