President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban continued negotiations with the participation of official delegations of the two countries.

The President of Uzbekistan noted with satisfaction that the arrival of a large Hungarian delegation, despite the conditions of the pandemic, testifies to the strong friendship and mutual respect of the two countries.

The peoples of Uzbekistan and Hungary share common historical roots and close partnerships. Hungary is one of Uzbekistan’s important partners in the European Union. This partnership is being strengthened every year thanks to mutual efforts and practical cooperation.

Over the past four years, the trade turnover between the two countries has almost tripled. Despite the difficult circumstances of the pandemic, this positive dynamic was maintained last year.

The close interaction of businesspeople and regions is an important factor in this area. In February 2021, Budapest hosted the Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation and a Business Forum. The First Meeting of Uzbekistan – Hungary Business Council took place in Tashkent on March 29.

It was noted that there are huge untapped opportunities for cooperation. The main attention was paid to the issues of further strengthening trade-economic, investment and financial ties.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the importance of increasing trade turnover, eliminating the imbalance in bilateral trade, and implementing mutual supplies of demanded products.

The need for effectively using the opportunities of Uzbekistan – Hungary Trade House to be created in Budapest, was emphasized.

Industrial cooperation is another priority of cooperation. Agreements were reached on the implementation of new projects in Uzbekistan in the food industry, pharmaceuticals, agricultural processing, chemistry and mechanical engineering using the best practices of Hungary.

Interregional cooperation is also developing. Thus, in Samarkand and Jizzakh regions, it is planned to introduce the Hungarian experience in modernizing the economy and social sphere, industrializing agriculture, and increasing the export potential. For this purpose, a group of highly qualified experts arrived from Hungary.

The President of Uzbekistan proposed to establish a partnership between the regions of the two countries and hold an annual Forum of Regions.

The Hungarian side expressed its readiness to exchange best practices and technologies in agriculture, fruit storage and processing, fish farming and seed production.

Special attention was paid to the development of cultural-humanitarian cooperation.

The two countries have established an exchange of experience in healthcare, science and education. This academic year, students from Uzbekistan received more than 100 grants to study at Hungarian universities. This year, the University of Debrecen will start operating in Tashkent.

At the event, an agreement was reached on the consistent continuation of cooperation in this direction, further strengthening ties between scientific and cultural institutions.

The parties closely cooperate and support each other within the framework of international and regional structures, such as the United Nations, the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States.

Responsible persons were instructed to develop a roadmap for the implementation of the agreements reached during the negotiations.

UzA