Budapest, Aug 26 (IANS): The priority of the Hungarian government's foreign policy is to promote the country's economic interests, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said here on Wednesday.

"The goal of the Hungarian diplomacy is to attract as much foreign investment as possible," Szijjarto said at the annual meeting of Hungarian ambassadors.

Szijjarto said that "we must convince as many companies as possible -- companies that are restructuring their production -- to choose Hungary as the venue for their economic activities."

The Minister called Hungary's foreign policy "balanced and patriotic." Its aim, he said, was to draw tech investments into the country from the east as well as the west.

Szijjarto thanked the employees of his ministry for their "superhuman, excellent work during the first phase of the pandemic," which contributed to the success of Hungary's response to the novel coronavirus, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is not difficult to procure medical supplies in peacetime, but in an emergency situation, when the whole world wants to buy a mask, a ventilator and medical protective clothing, it is a real challenge," he said.

"Our staff successfully took on this challenge, so we managed to provide the necessary equipment for the successful operation of the Hungarian health care system," said Szijjarto.

During the first phase of the pandemic, 185 planes were flying regularly between Hungary and China, importing some 93 million masks, 40 million protective clothing, 800,000 doses of medication and 15,000 ventilators, the Minister said.