The foreign minister said Uzbekistan offers excellent market opportunities for Hungarian companies using advanced technology.
Speaking in Samarkand on Thursday, where he opened an Uzbek-Hungarian business forum, Péter Szijjártó said in his address that the governments of Uzbekistan and Hungary have provided the conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation and “there are no political disputes between the two countries”. He called the bilateral strategic partnership agreement signed last year important especially “in the current recession environment” for Hungary, one of the world’s ten most open economies. Minister Szijjártó noted that the business forum is attended by representatives of 44 Hungarian companies and its schedule includes 180 business meetings. With the aim to boost cooperation between Hungarian and Uzbek companies, Hungary’s Eximbank has opened a 110 million dollar credit line, he said.
Speaking about ongoing projects, Minister Szijjártó noted the construction of a gas-fuelled power plant and the modernisation and management of water and sewage systems with Hungarian participation. He said that Uzbekistan would authorise a simplified licensing procedure for Hungarian medicines. Minister Szijjártó said he hoped Uzbekistan would decide in favour of Hungarian technology for the cooling system of a nuclear power plant it is building. Economic Development Minister Márton Nagy said the government will provide financial and all other support to Hungarian companies seeking cooperation in Uzbekistan. Nagy praised the fast development of bilateral ties and said that Hungary’s open, export-oriented economy was consistently looking for new business opportunities. Hungary has set up a capital fund to mitigate the risk for companies looking for cooperation in new markets in Uzbekistan, he said. The relevant chambers and economic development companies will also help promote cooperation, Nagy said. The forum was opened by Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev.