Hungary FM in Talks with Nine Asian Foreign Ministers in Brussels on Friday

Peter Szijjarto held talks with the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Yemen, Madagascar and the Philippines, among others.

Fotó: MARTON_KIRALY Forrás: Forrás: Facebook.com/Szijjártó Péter

Hungary's foreign minister held talks with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, Malagasy Foreign Minister Rafaravavitafika Rasata, Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo, Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara, Cambodian Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea, Bruneian Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Muhammad Hasan Mahmud and Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, the statement issued by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

During the day, Peter Szijjarto shared several Facebook posts on the talks. Regarding Yemen, he noted that the Western world delayed taking action for a long time and unfortunately failed to accurately assess the gravity and seriousness of the threat posed by Houthis. This is how the situation emerged that in recent weeks, attacks by the Houthis have threatened 15 percent of global seaborne trade off the coast of Yemen.

The Houthi rebels keep commercial vessels under constant attack, forcing shipping companies to divert ships to a route going around the African continent, which results in significant increases in the journey time and cost of transporting goods from Asia to Europe.

This is becoming an increasingly serious problem for many Hungarian companies, as shipments are not arriving on time and transport costs are rising.

"The world cannot allow a group of rebels to threaten the freedom of global trade to this extent. The European Union must also take action, as it would not be good for the European Union's economies to face further difficulties on top of the challenges we already have," the minister said. He added that steps must therefore be taken to declare the Houthis a terrorist organisation and help the Yemeni government to strengthen its coastguard. The necessary resources are available in the European Peace Facility.

If the European Union and the Western world fail to take firm action, we can expect European economies and companies to face this uncertainty for a long time to come,

Peter Szijjarto pointed out.

Regarding Indonesia, he noted that a new trade record was set: 2022 was a record year so far, but last year trade with Indonesia reached  $280 million, the highest figure ever.

With Indonesia's growing importance not only for Southeast Asia but for the global economy as a whole, this record has a palpable positive impact on Hungary's overall performance in foreign trade. "It is good news that Hungary continues to attract Indonesian young people, as shown by the fact that more than 1,500 Indonesian students applied for scholarships in Hungary this year," he said.

Indonesia has submitted its application to join the OECD, which we are pleased to support as it will further strengthen the organisation. And the OECD is one of the few international organisations where fairness, impartiality and a non-ideological approach are still values," the minister wrote on social media.

In the post on Madagascar, Peter Szijjarto highlighted that it was the first time that the foreign ministers of Madagascar and Hungary met.

We have much more in common than we think, and not just because we both have red, white and green in our national flags,

 he said, noting that Madagascar was the guest of honor at last year's Utazas (travel) exhibition in Hungary; the reforestation program in Madagascar is supported by Hungary with forty million forints; Hungarian-born Maurice (Moric) Benyovszky founded a town on the island in the 18th century on behalf of the King of France, and a statue was erected to commemorate him.

 The center of gravity in the world economy has shifted from the West to the East, as anyone with common sense can see, Szijjarto pointed out. "Therefore, it would be in the interest of the European Union to build the closest possible economic cooperation between the East and the West," he stressed.

Therefore, during Hungary's presidency of the European Union, we will particularly focus on strengthening the cooperation between the EU and Southeast Asia, one of the fastest developing regions in the world,

he added.

To this end, we have plans to speed up free trade talks with Thailand, relaunch negotiations with the Philippines, relaunch the negotiation of a partnership and cooperation agreement with Brunei, open negotiations with Bangladesh, support Cambodia's bid to receive the most favored nation status in its trade with the EU, and conclude an investment protection agreement with Laos, Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade explained.

Hungarian investments worth $ 125 million are underway in Laos, in the water industry and electronic governance. In Cambodia, more than three hundred people applied for Hungarian scholarships. A record high trade turnover of €100 million was realized with Bangladesh. Measures to increase Hungarian food exports were agreed with Thailand and the Philippines, the ministry's statement says.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Source: Facebook/Peter Szijjarto)