State Secretary for External Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó negotiated with President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki and Foreign Minister of Tunisia Othman Jerandi, as well as with Ministers of International Economic Cooperation, Agriculture and Trade, agreeing on a five point Hungarian-Tunisian economic cooperation program.

Regarding the economic cooperation program, the State Secretary pointed out that within the framework of the agricultural cooperation they are preparing a long-term trade agreement based on barter trading. The State Secretary expressed that Hungary intends to import phosphates directly from Tunisia and in exchange Hungary would export food industry products, primarily flour.

State Secretary Péter Szijjártó also touched upon the issue of water management, stating that Tunisia had already invited the Hungarian Water Industry Cluster to negotiate about concrete Tunisian projects including irrigation systems and water networks.

The State Secretary said that they intend to launch a higher education exchange program so that Hungarian universities may admit Tunisian young people interested mainly in studying mining engineering.

The negotiating partners also agreed on Hungarian participation in the modernisation of the Tunisian railway industry.

(Prime Minister’s Office)