The letter was delivered to Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Jure Leben by Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Laszlo Szaba and will be attached to a forthcoming application for EU funds, the ministry said.

According to the special Slovenian law governing the project, Hungary will participate with a financial investment in 2TDK, the special company incorporated to build the track to the Koper port.

The letter expresses support for the development of the rail corridor connecting Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, with Koper at its western terminus.

It says that as a landlocked country, Hungary relies on the unhindered connection with Koper as its nearest port to develop its trade and competitiveness.

Hungary is willing to invest up to EUR 200m under conditions that will be specified in a special intergovernmental agreement, the letter says according to the ministry.

The rail expansion, currently valued at about a billion euros, is supposed to be financed with a mix of budget funds, financial participation from landlocked countries, EU funding and European Investment Bank loans.