State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó, who is negotiating in Vietnam, concluded several agreements on Wednesday.
As a result, a Hungarian company may begin the establishment of the Asian country's population registration system, another Hungarian enterprise may develop the water-treatment system of one province; furthermore the Hungarian export of pig meat to Vietnam may also begin.
The State Secretary informed Hungarian news agency MTI of these developments after having participated in the Hungarian-Vietnamese economic joint committee meeting in Hanoi, and after having met with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Cao Viet Sinh, Minister for Foreign Affairs Nguyen Phuong Nga and Deputy Minister of Finance Truong Chi Trung.
Within the framework of the policy of opening towards the East, the Hungarian government aims to put more emphasis on its relationship with Asian countries. Péter State Secretary Szijjártó said that “We consider Vietnam a strategic economic partner due to its economic performance”. He added that the Vietnamese economic and social system is being modernized, and for this reason “there is a great need for Hungarian experience regarding the reconstruction of large systems”.
On Wednesday, two agreements were signed that will provide considerable market opportunities for Hungarian enterprises in the South-East Asian country. According to one agreement, a Hungarian company may begin to establish the system of population registration which so far does not exist in Vietnam. This is a “huge information-technological investment”. According to a second agreement, a Hungarian company will develop the water-treatment system of a Vietnamese province. In addition, Hungarians will build an oncology hospital. It was also agreed that cooperation on nuclear energy will be broadened. At the moment, Vietnamese nuclear energy experts are being educated in Hungary, and in the future Hungarian enterprises may now deliver various equipment and transfer knowledge to Vietnam, as the Asian country is planning to establish two nuclear power plants – said State Secretary Szijjártó.
The State Secretary also revealed that an agreement was signed according to which Hungarian food-processing enterprises have now been entered on the list that includes those foreign companies from which Vietnam imports pork and pork products.
Finally, an agreement was also reached on continuing strategic cooperation within the field of the health industry, so the development of the Vietnamese medical system may be carried out following the Hungarian example. The Hungarian partner plans the establishment of a health educational centre in Vietnam, and the way is clear for cooperation on the distribution of pharmaceuticals and the education of doctors and nurses.
State Secretary Szijjártó said that he and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had set as their goal to achieve progress in these fields of cooperation as soon as possible.
„There are more opportunities in the relationship between Hungary and Vietnam than we currently make use of”, but the present negotiations may serve as a good basis for exploiting the economic possibilities” – said the State Secretary in closing, On Thursday, a Hungarian-Vietnamese business forum will be held in Ho Chi Minh, which will be opened by State Secretary Szijjártó.
(Prime Minister’s Office)
