HUNGARY is keen on helping Brunei develop its agricultural sector by sharing its expertise and technology in water management and treatment, its Foreign Affairs Minister told The Brunei Times yesterday.

His Excellency Janos Martonyi in an interview on the sidelines of the 19th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (19th AEMM) believed that there was a huge potential for bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

He said that both nations had "agreed to develop cooperation in all possible areas", as he shared some details of a bilateral meeting held last Thursday with Brunei's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.

"We are offering some special things (to Brunei) and for instance, we have special expertise or knowledge in almost everything which is related to water. So water management and water treatment," he said.

Martonyi added that he would instruct Hungary's Singapore-based Ambassador to come to the Sultanate to establish contacts with the local parties authorities here to push the deal through with an aim to assist in the development of Brunei's agricultural sector.

"It's not primarily about exporting agricultural products, but it is also about agriculture 'know-how', which I believe we are also well-known of," the minister further elaborated.

"We have been helpful in many countries, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam..we are I'd say well-known for this. We also established a group of countries which is called 'Friends of Water', and also we were chief architect of what is called the Danube Region Strategy."

The strategy encourages long-term cooperation to tackle a wide range of local problems, boosting economic development, improving transport and energy connections, protecting the environment, and strengthening security, the European Commission explains in its website.

"Now if you read the Action Plan and also the final statement, you'll find the reference in both texts to the cooperation between the Danube region and the Mekong Region, so that's an important aspect of cooperation between EU and Asean," he said.

"One of my interventions is about water because we think that water is really one of the key issues for the future."

Martonyi also mentioned that Hungary could also offer their expertise in the field of Information Technology (IT) and bio-technology.

"I think most of these things are ahead of us and I very much hoped that my visit now and here will give a new push or impetus for the development of bilateral relations."

The minister also expressed his interest in luring Bruneian investments into Hungary as the republic was "in need of investments in general".

"Hungary is a very dynamic and vibrant country so I think there is a huge potential for a development of bilateral relations," Martonyi said.

(Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, HE Jones Martonyi at the interview with The Brunei Times at the 19th AEMM held at the International Convention Centre, Berakas.  Picture: BT/Zamri Zainal)

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Brunei Times)