Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó held 33 meetings and concluded 12 inter-governmental agreements during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Minister summarised his visit to New York in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Sunday.

Mr. Szijjártó, who issued the telephone statement from Hanoi, Vietnam, where he arrived on Sunday as part of a Hungarian delegation headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, highlighted the establishment of diplomatic relations with Palau, where there is a school named after Hungarian cardinal József Mindszenty, and the investment protection agreement concluded with Tajikistan, which he said was particularly important in view of the fact that Hungarian enterprises working within the fields of water management and the pharmaceutical industry are showing heightened interest in the Tajikistani market.

Mr. Szijjártó also reported on the agreement on the establishment of an expert exchange programme between the Diplomatic Academy of Kirgizstan and Hungary’s Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade, which according to the Minister represents one of the expert foundations for the tightening of relations between Central Europe and Central Asia, which is one of the important goals of the current Hungarian presidency of the Visegrád Group (V4).

An agreement was also concluded between Hungary and Ecuador on work permits for the family members of diplomats, as well as an agreement on tourism cooperation between Hungary and Bosnia-Hercegovina, he told the press.

The Minister also reported on the fact that he had signed a treaty with Moldova on disaster management training courses and on providing mutual assistance in the case of certain disasters.

An agreement was concluded with Laos on a diplomat exchange programme, according to which diplomats will be spending 15 days each in each other’s countries, in addition to which an agreement was also concluded with Jordan on the visa-free travel of people with diplomatic passports, the Minister continued, adding that an agreement was signed with the Untitled Arab Emirates on the mutual acceptance of driving licences.

In addition, Mr. Szijjártó also signed three educating agreements while in New York, according to which Hungary will be providing 75 scholarship places every year for university students from Ecuador, 35 to students from Ecuador and 50 to Lebanese students.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)