Hungary needs to pursue a new type of foreign policy which involves fully enforcing its foreign economic interests, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Friday.

Mr Szijjártó told a graduation ceremony at Budapest Corvinus University that the new situation that developed in world economy and world politics prompted Hungary to prepare a new strategy which devotes much attention to higher education. In order to make Hungary competitive, the country needs competitive higher education, he added.

New skills and new forms of training are needed, so Hungary also needs to reform its training for diplomats. The government will rely in this process on the know-how, experience and lecturers at Corvinus University, he said.

The Government's opening to the east policy has been one of the responses given to the new world order and Corvinus has consistently stood behind this effort with regular exchange schemes and developing links with students and teachers in eastern countries. In September this year, Corvinus, in cooperation with the Pázmány Péter University, will launch an MA programme for Eastern Asian studies, he added.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)