‘Hungarian-Uzbek relations have solid foundations’ stressed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to the press after meeting with Shavkat Mirziyoyev President of Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Tuesday. Several cooperation and business agreements have been signed by the two parties.
The Hungarian PM appreciatively noted how Uzbekistan has been mobilizing its resources in the interest of political and economic modernization in the past years and recalled Uzbekistan’s and its president’s help last year during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Then Uzbekistan sent hundreds of thousands of face masks to Hungary, a gesture which ‘Hungarians will never forget’ said Viktor Orbán.
Some regions are going to ascend while others will lose their significance, new technologies will come, the world is on the move and the two countries ‘held hands at the right time’ to jointly try to exploit the opportunities of the changes and shifts in world politics and economy ahead – added the Hungarian PM.
In terms of economic cooperation the Hungarian counterpart highlighted his experience that one or two grand projects, joint ventures are needed as ‘flagships’ for smaller enterprises to ‘sail’ behind them. Partnering in the finance sector and agricultural modernisation have been identified as such ‘flagships’ but cooperation in the field of nuclear energy or the pharmaceutical industry also has opportunities.
Despite the volume of world trade having decreased during the pandemic, Hungarian-Uzbek trade managed toincrease significantly in the last year. As Hungary is to assume the rotating presidency the Visegrád Group, Viktor Orbán asked the President of Uzbekistan to help him take advantage of this one year to boostcooperation between the countries of Central Europe and Central Asia.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told to MTI that nine agreements were signed between the Uzbek and Hungarian governments in Tashkent on Tuesday, giving Hungarian companies the opportunity to restructure or modernize strategic sectors in Uzbekistan.
Source: MTI
