Deputy State Secretary Péter Wintermantel hosted the heads of delegations from the Asia-Pacific region attending the Budapest Water Summit at a working breakfast on Wednesday, 9 October. From the Hungarian side, the meeting was also attended by Deputy State Secretary Péter Kovács from the Ministry of Rural Development, Government Commissioner for the EU Danube Region Strategy Balázs Medgyesy, and CEO of Budapest Water Works and General Secretary of the Hungarian Water Cluster Csaba Haranghy.

The guests from the Asia-Pacific region were: Ms Sanjaasuren Oyun, Minister of Environment and Green Development of Mongolia; Mr Ernesto Adobo Jr., Undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines; Mr Nguyen Thai Lai, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment of Vietnam; Ms Amanda Ellis, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of New Zealand; Mr Chew Men Eng, CEO of Singapore’s Public Utilities Board; Mr Apichart Anukularmphai, President of the Thailand Water Resources Association, and Mr Lee Jung-moo, President of the Korea Water Forum.

The participants discussed the water-related challenges of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly the issues of healthy drinking water and wastewater treatment as well as flood prevention and disaster relief. The parties agreed that Hungary and the Asia-Pacific region shared numerous common challenges within the area of water management. The Hungarian side confirmed that it is ready to share its experiences in water-related fields with interested partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

All participants praised the preparation and the professional programme of the Budapest Water Summit, and thanked the Hungarian organisers for their efforts.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)