This year marks the 31st Anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Hungary, which have developed rapidly over the past quarter century. Currently, the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the two countries and the Business Council, established in February 2021, are in operation.

During the official visits of the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán to Uzbekistan in March 2021 and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Hungary in October 2022, friendly relations reached a new level. Thus, following the results of the meetings of the heads of state in Budapest, 15 bilateral documents were signed, including the Joint Statement on the Development of Strategic Partnership.

This contributes to an increase in the volume of mutual trade and the rapid growth of bilateral cooperative ties between leading enterprises in various sectors of the economy. For example, today in Uzbekistan, there are 16 enterprises created with the participation of Hungarian capital, 10 of them are joint ventures.

The entry of the Hungarian OTP Bank into the banking and financial market of Uzbekistan, the largest in Central Asia, is of great importance in developing our country’s foreign economic relations. In general, the fact that cooperation is actively initiated at the level of heads of state indicates that relations between the two countries in the trade, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian spheres will rise to a new level.

In particular, the visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the city of Budapest at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán on August 19-20 this year, and the agreements reached during it lay the foundation for the consistent development of cooperation in all areas.

During the two-day visit, several meetings were held to increase the volume of mutual trade and expand interaction in various sectors of the economy. In particular, within the framework of the meeting with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of OTP Bank, Sándor Csányi, an agreement was reached on the use of more effective financial means to support and promote joint projects in industrial cooperation, agriculture, and other priority areas.

At the same time, as part of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke with the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, Head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. During the talks, views were exchanged on the current issues of bilateral practical cooperation.

In a word, the development of friendly relations between Uzbekistan and Hungary opens the way to a broader use of the economic opportunities not only of the two countries, but also of the countries of the regions.

Mavluda ADKHAMJONOVA,

Deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

UzA