FM Szijjarto: We need closer cooperation with Central Asia

An Uzbek delegation will visit Budapest next week, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced.

Szijjártó Péter külgazdasági és külügyminiszter New Yorkban találkozott Sherzod Kudbiyev üzbég gazdasági miniszterrel 2023. július 18-án. Fotó: BORSOS MATYAS Forrás: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto met Uzbek Minister of Economy Sherzod Kudbiev in New York, Hungary's FM announced on his Facebook page. "Central Asia is currently one of the most dynamically developing regions of the world economy, which is why it is in our interest to cooperate as closely as possible," he stressed.

"To this end, we are continuously working to strengthen Hungarian-Uzbek relations," Mr Szijjarto added before outlining the joint projects of the two countries:

• An industrial zone will be created near Tashkent to specifically serve investments by Hungarian companies, with a particular focus on agriculture and the pharmaceutical industry.
• One of the most important tasks is the establishment of direct air links between the two countries, a project now coming to a completion.
• The Hungarian-Uzbek joint economic committee will meet in Budapest next week.

Uzbekistan held presidential elections on 9 July, resulting in a landslide victory for Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who will lead the Central Asian country for the next seven years. Miklos Sarkozy, associate professor at the Karoli Gaspar University of the Reformed Church in Hungary (KRE), told Magyar Nemzet earlier that Hungarian-Uzbek relations are excellent, especially in light of the fact that the building of relations between the two countries has only started in earnest in the last ten years. The Hungarian embassy in Tashkent was inaugurated in 2013, and Uzbekistan's embassy in Budapest opened its doors this spring.

The Hungarian OTP bank entering the Uzbek market by becoming the majority shareholder of Ipoteka Bank last year also marks a milestone in Hungarian-Uzbek relations.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto meets Uzbek Minister of Economy Sherzod Kudbiev in New York on 18 July 2023 (Photo: Facebook/Peter Szijjarto)