Hungary is building a better partnership with Iran following last week's visit to Iran by Hungary's speaker of the parliament, the latest in a series of senior-level meetings between the two sides.
László Kövér, president of the Hungarian National Assembly, met with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, Chairman of the Parliament of Iran Ali Larijani, and numerous other dignitaries in Tehran.
Kövér’s visit, the first by Hungary's house speaker since the Soviet era, comes as part of the Islamic Republic’s gradual opening to the West following last year’s agreement to loosen trade embargoes in exchange for Iran’s promise to dismantle its nuclear capabilities.
According to Kövér, his trip has been aimed primarily at improving inter-parliamentary relations between the two countries. At the same time, a great deal of emphasis was placed on furthering economic relationships.
Kövér emphasized the nation’s economic importance, its agricultural and industrial potential, and its 2,500 year ‘tradition of trade,’ while adding that the country’s 80 million-strong market holds “serious possibilities” for Hungarian companies.
In addition, at Saturday’s meeting with Ali Larijani, both House Speakers agreed that there were many opportunities for the cooperation of Hungarian investors with Iran in the fields of “railway construction, water management, environmental protection, waste management, the pharmaceutical industry, and automotive manufacture,” MTI revealed today.
Kövér also said that he was pleased that Iran will be participating in the upcoming Budapest Water Summit, which is scheduled to begin at the end of the month.
The speaker also said that he was delighted at the fact that over 4,000 Iranian students have graduated from universities in Hungary, and added that 1,100 are currently studying in Hungary.