Hungary's Consulate General in Erbil, Iraq, is set to open in the second half of this year, Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Péter Wintermantel declared at the end of his two-day visit to Iraq on Tuesday.

Mr. Wintermantel held talks in Baghdad and Kurdistan with a focus on bilateral cooperation and regional issues. The Government's recent decision to open a new consulate general in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan region, was a key topic, he said.

The Hungarian MFA Deputy State Secretary said that Hungary is committed to supporting Iraq's education system through a scholarship programme under which 100 Iraqi students will study in Hungary during the next 3 years. He added that Hungary would also help Iraq to train public administration and government officials.

Mr Wintermantel noted that bilateral trade turnover with Iraq was relatively low, but the country could be an important market for Hungarian companies in future.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)