As the world’s largest democracy, India plays a crucial role in Hungary’s Asia policy, Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi said in Budapest on 15 July 2013, after meeting Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid.

Relations between Hungary and India are progressing well and the two countries share common values, Mr. Martonyi told a press conference. Bilateral ties have been strengthened, as witnessed by the more frequent mutual visits and the fact that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is scheduled to visit India in October, he stated.

The Minister will also attend the Asia–Europe (ASEM) meeting in the autumn, the last of which was held in Gödöllő (north of Budapest) in 2011. Indian companies have 1.5 billion US dollars of investments in Hungary and this figure is only set to grow, Martonyi said. He welcomed India’s pledge to provide more opportunities for Hungarian companies in infrastructure developments.

Mr. Khurshid said the visit by Prime Minster Orbán and his business delegation would be an important event, giving the opportunity to further advance economic ties. Minister Khurshid said he would visit Balatonfüred, a lakeside town in west Hungary, later in the day, where he would plant a tree next to the one planted there in 1968 by his grandfather, Zakir Hussain, the third president of India.

Mr. Khurshid came to Hungary on a three-day visit on 14 July, and he will be the foreign guest at this year’s annual meeting of Hungarian ambassadors at the foreign ministry on 16 July 2013.

(MTI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)