Uzbek-Hungarian business forum in Tashkent: Hungary able to export over EUR 100 bn annually

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, opening an Uzbek-Hungarian business forum in Tashkent on Tuesday, said Hungary belonged to an “elite club of 35 countries”, having exported 100 billion euros of goods annually over the past three years.

A focus of Hungarian foreign policy is to boost cooperation between fast-growing Central Asia and central Europe, “the growth engine of the European Union”, Szijjártó said.

Uzbek-Hungarian relations are not burdened by any unresolved issues that may hinder “peaceful business dealings”, he said.

Due to recent shifts in the world economy, regions that were once condescended to now boast healthy growth, and Hungary and Uzbekistan both belong to such regions, he added.

Central European growth is more than twice the European average, he noted, adding that Hungary was the fastest growing country in the EU last year. Its population 94th in the world yet its export performance is 34th, the minister said.

Szijjártó said business ties between the two countries would strengthen, thanks to decisions made during his visit.

Hungarian Eximbank is opening a 100 million dollar credit line to provide support for Hungarian-Uzbek business ties, and the government is offering 30 scholarships to Uzbek students who choose to study at Hungarian universities, he said.