Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said on Thursday that an agreement has been reached between the Hungarian and Croatian governments on funding for the reconstruction of a primary school, with Hungary’s help, in Petrinja in Croatia.
Minister Szijjártó said on Facebook that the Croatian government has agreed to contribute the cost of the VAT, or 1.6 billion forints (EUR 4.2m), for the reconstruction of the school with 20 classrooms and a gym which was destroyed by an earthquake in 2020. He added that earlier in the day, he had discussed the matter with Branko Bačić, Croatia’s minister of construction. The personal involvement of Hungarian ethnic MP Róbert Jankovics was essential in resolving the issue, he said. Hungary was among the first countries to offer its help for damage recovery following the earthquake, and it provided more than 8 billion forints for the project in Petrinja, he said. However, the issue of VAT payment requirement caused a delay, and this has now been resolved, he added.