Hungary will close 4 embassies and 8 consulate generals in order to save government expenditure, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said in Budapest on Tuesday.

According to reports of Hungarian News Agency MTI, Hungary's current embassies in Luxembourg, Venezuela, Chile and Malaysia will be closed, along with the consulate generals in Dusseldorf, Lyon, Cracow, Chicago, Toronto, Sao Paolo, Hong Kong and Sydney.

Balazs told a press conference that Hungary would also move 3 embassies in international organizations together with other diplomatic missions. Hungary will maintain 102 representations in 80 states as a result, he added.

The network after the streamlining will be more efficient, Balazs said. He added that the Hungarian Foreign Ministry could save 2 billion forints (about 9.9 million U.S. dollars) through the closures every year.

Hungary's main opposition Fidesz's foreign policy expert Zsolt Nemeth said that such closures were a form of "self-destruction." He criticized the government for making the decision without consulting with the opposition.

Source: Xinhua