PUTRAJAYA, March 20 — Malaysia and Hungary discussed efforts to strengthen ties particularly in trade and investment, agriculture, and cooperation in electro-mobility during a bilateral meeting today.
The Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjártó also spoke about Malaysia-European Union (EU) bilateral relations, Asean-EU Dialogue Relations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest during their meeting.
“The Foreign Ministers exchanged two Diplomatic Notes, namely the Bilateral Work Arrangement between both countries; and Cooperation between Malaysia’s Institute of Diplomatic and Foreign Relations (IDFR) and the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy (MDA),” it said in a statement.
Szijjártó, who is on one-day working visit to Malaysia, had earlier met Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir to strengthen cooperation in the higher education sector, including the ongoing Hungary’s Scholarship Programme — Stipendium Hungaricum.
Malaysia and Hungary have a longstanding and multi-faceted cooperation. Last year, the trade value between Malaysia and Hungary was RM3.08 billion (US$670 million), with exports amounting to RM2.38 billion (US$520 million) and imports valued at RM700 million (US$150 million).
Meanwhile, Szijjártó said increasing Hungarian agricultural exports and the fight against the world blockade were on the agenda for his visit in Malaysia.
In a his Facebook post, he added that Malaysia is the last stop on his visit to three most competitive countries in Southeast Asia, following Thailand and Singapore.
— Bernama
