Foreign trade between Indonesia and Hungary may increase ten-fold within two to three years, and Hungarian exports may reach HUF 400 billion, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Hungarian news agency MTI from Jakarta.

László Szabó pointed out following his two-day visit to Indonesia: there are a number of energy and water management projects in progress, and water purification plants are being built in 34 locations. The construction of these plants has been awarded to the Metropolitan Water Works „Fővárosi Vízművek”. From among the projects under way, there are some successful ones which account for several times the current turnover on their own, he said.

The Hungarian National Trading House, too, has opened an office in Indonesia which will further promote economic and trade relations, he added.

Political and cultural relations between the two countries have been highly intensive also to date, Indonesia could be a model state of Hungary’s foreign trade strategy, the Minister of State said.

Mr Szabó took the view that the two countries have major economic opportunities, including opportunities for Hungarian businesses in particular in the fields of energy, water management, mobile payment solutions, online cash registers, electronic trade and transport control systems and parking systems. Indonesian companies are also happy to work with Hungarian businesses in food processing, in the construction industry and in the health care industry.

At the meeting of the mixed economic committee the partners talked about specific cooperation opportunities, and 14 Hungarian businesses attended the business forum that was held after the meeting, Mr Szabó informed MTI.

He also mentioned that a photo exhibition comprised of the works of MTI’s photo journalists was opened in Jakarta which evoke the events of the 1956 revolution and introduce Hungary.

He added: not only economic and cultural relations are growing fast, but educational relations, too, are undergoing a phase of intensive development. At the educational forum the parties talked about cooperation in higher education: as part of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme, the Hungarian Government offered 50 scholarship grants to Indonesian students, while almost 300 Hungarian students are receiving the so-called Darmasiswa scholarship offered by the Indonesian Government to study the Indonesian language, fine arts, dance, music and crafts.

In Indonesia Mr Szabó had talks – among others – with the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for America and Europe, the President of the Chamber of Industry, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, and the President of the Indonesian Senate responsible for foreign relations.

(MTI)