On 28 March, Deputy State Secretary for Opening to the South Szilveszter Bus held talks in Ankara at Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economy.

The negotiations were centred on Turkey’s and Hungary’s Africa strategy, the continuation of the process begun by the first “Set Course for Africa” Hungarian-Turkish business forum held in Budapest in March 2016, further support to enable Hungarian enterprises to enter the African market, and the exploration of new Turkish-Hungarian economic cooperation opportunities in African countries.

Mr. Bus and Undersecretary for African Affairs Ümit Yardim agreed that our traditionally close political and economic relations provide a suitable foundation for economic cooperation in third countries, and particularly in Africa, where Turkey has a strong and successful presence. It was stated that Turkey has been the African Union’s strategic partner since 2008, has tripled its trade with the region’s countries during the past ten years, and is prepared to share its experience with Hungary. The most promising areas for cooperation in Africa include agriculture, water management and the construction industry.

The Deputy State Secretary was also received by Turkish Economy Minister Fatih Metin, who confirmed that the Turkish party remains committed to furthering the initiative relating to African cooperation. The Ministry is prepared to organise the second “Set Course for Africa” Hungarian-Turkish business forum in Ankara in 2018 in the interests of now creating an opportunity for commencing negotiations on concrete joint African project opportunities. An agreement was reached with the Turkish partner concerning the setting up of an expert working group for the result-orientated management of Hungarian-Turkish cooperation on the African continent, which has major potential, and via this to expand the African presence of Hungarian enterprises.

Mr. Bus also met with the directors of several Turkish companies with major experience in Africa who, similarly to his government negotiating partner, he briefed on the state of the Hungarian economy and Hungary’s African foreign trade endeavours.
The company directors showcased their African activities and expressed their clear willingness to cooperate with Hungarian businesses in Africa.

The Deputy State Secretary also held talks with Undersecretary for monitoring the Middle Eastern region Sedat Önal, with whom negotiations will continue in Budapest in May on the political processes of and prospects for the region, which is extremely important with relation to European security.

(MTI)