The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade hosted the conference "Asean Community – Deepening Integration Brings Expanding Opportunities for Trade and Growth” on 31 March 2016. Deputy State Secretary for southerly opening Szilveszter Bus delivered the opening speech at the event. Surin Pitsuwan, former Secretary-General of ASEAN and former Thai Foreign Minister spoke as the guest of honour of the conference.

In his opening speech delivered at the event, which was organised under the auspices of the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Mr Bus outlined relations between ASEAN and the European Union, with particular emphasis on the Central-European region and Hungary, and spoke about further opportunities for cooperation. The results of the integration of the ASEAN region – the "ASEAN Economic Community” since the end of 2015 – with a population of 622 million, which has recently undergone a phase of spectacular growth, are remarkable and impressive: the growing middle classes, which will number 125 million by 2025 according to projections, will offer European partners, including Hungary, enormous market opportunities. The free trade talks between ASEAN and the EU are likewise promising. In the event of the finalisation of the agreement, there is scope for the further enhancement of cooperation.

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Mr Bus highlighted: as one of the EU’s most successful and most stable countries, Hungary – with its remarkable macro-economic results, institutional incentives and expanding contractual relations – is ready to further boost the economic and human relations maintained with the ASEAN region. The strategy of Southerly Opening provides the necessary political support which is amply underlined by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s meeting with the Secretary-General of ASEAN in Jakarta in February 2016 and the considerable extension of the network of Hungarian foreign trade representations in the region.

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The Deputy State Secretary, who was Hungary’s first Ambassador accredited to ASEAN between 2009 and 2014, pointed out that the conditions had never been better for building a new network of quality relations based on respect and mutual advantages between Hungary and the South-East Asia region which is regarded as one of the engines of the world economy. The Hungarian Government is fully committed in this respect, and the Hungarian economy offers exceptional opportunities to the business players of the ASEAN Member States, primarily in the knowledge-based and technology-sensitive sectors.

(MTI)