Hungary seeks more investments from India

Hungary sought more Indian investments during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's recent visit to the country apart from intensifying cooperation in areas of film production, digitalisation, water management, solar energy, and pharmaceuticals.

The External Affairs Minister also noted with satisfaction the positive trend of Indian investment in Hungary and its favourable business environment and competitiveness, the Indian Mission in Budapest said in a statement.

Jaishankar, who visited Budapest from August 25 to August 27, also held extensive discussions with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto on a wide range of bilateral and multilateral issues including on cooperation with the Visegrad Group.

The Visegrad Group or V4, is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European states - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, that are members of the European Union (EU) and NATO - for the purposes of advancing military, cultural, economic and energy cooperation with one another along with furthering their integration in the EU.

The two also signed a cultural exchange programme between India and Hungary for the period 2019-22. The Hungarian side announced their decision to join the International Solar Alliance, an orgsation established to harness the solar energy for the benefit of member nations and headquartered in India, the statement read.

On the same occasion, India and Hungary agreed to also intensify bilateral interaction in the fields of education, tourism, and science.

The External Affairs Minister also met Hungary's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mihaly Varga and Chairman of Hungary-India Parliamentary Friendship Group Peter Cseresnyes.

During these meetings, a range of issues of interest was discussed including parliamentary exchanges and other high-level contacts, as also people-to-people ties, the statement added.

On Monday, Jaishankar also addressed the annual conference of Hungary's Heads of Missions. He was invited by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to speak at the opening session of the conference as the Chief Guest.

The External Affairs Minister also inaugurated a photo exhibition at the Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Centre at the Embassy of India. The photo exhibition that was held to commemorate 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries showcased several historical photographs on the occasion.

( With inputs from ANI )