Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar (L) and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker attend a press conference in Vienna, Austria, May 21, 2026. Austria and Hungary agreed on Thursday to deepen cooperation within the European Union (EU) framework, as leaders from both countries described the recent political change in Budapest as opening a "new chapter" in bilateral relations. The commitment came during Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar's visit to Austria, where he held talks with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. The two sides also agreed to convene a joint meeting of their governments later this year, according to the Austrian Press Agency (APA). (Xinhua/He Canling)

VIENNA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Austria and Hungary agreed on Thursday to deepen cooperation within the European Union (EU) framework, as leaders from both countries described the recent political change in Budapest as opening a "new chapter" in bilateral relations.

The commitment came during Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar's visit to Austria, where he held talks with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. The two sides also agreed to convene a joint meeting of their governments later this year, according to the Austrian Press Agency (APA).

Speaking at a joint press conference, Stocker said Austria and Hungary aimed to rapidly expand cooperation and launch joint projects in areas of common interest.

Magyar said relations between the two neighboring countries had entered "a more peaceful phase" marked by mutual support. He also renewed his proposal for Austria to join the Visegrad Group, a regional alliance comprising Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

Stocker responded that any decision on expanding the group would need to be coordinated with its existing members and could not be made by Austria alone.

The two leaders also discussed climate protection, European Union enlargement and migration during their talks.