Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén declared that the International Water Summit is to be held in October in Budapest, after participating in the summit of world leaders' from the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Santiago de Chile.

The participants of the Santiago meeting discussed support for sustainable development and environmentally friendly investment projects.

Zsolt Semjén recalled that Hungary's intent to organise the Summit was announced by the country's President at the Rio+20 Summit last year.

The Deputy Prime Minister met with Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Patriota and invited him to visit Hungary, which was duly accepted. In relation to their negotiations, Zsolt Semjén emphasised cooperation in higher education, especially the student exchange program that will enable self-funding Brazilian students to study in Hungary.

The Deputy Prime Minister also met with Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfredo Moreno and they agreed that they would review opportunities for Hungarian companies within the frame of the EU-Chile Free Trade Agreement. He indicated that the Government highly appreciates the fact that Chile has maintained its Embassy in Budapest and is considering the reopening of the Hungarian Embassy in Chile.

According to a previous briefing from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is the second occasion since the EU accession that Hungary has been represented at the highest level in the summit between the EU and Latin America, clearly characterising the new, global nature of Hungarian foreign policy.

The CELAC is a regional consultation organization that was established in December, 2011. The organization consists of 33 countries from the American continent except for the United States and Canada. A total of 60 countries were invited to take part in the negotiations, including the representatives of 18 EU member states.

(MTI, Prime Minister’s Office)