At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban arrived in Uzbekistan on an official visit on March 29, 2021.

On March 30, the official welcoming ceremony of the distinguished guest took place at Kuksaroy Residence. Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Viktor Orban rose to the podium. National anthems of Uzbekistan and Hungary were played.

The ceremony was attended by members of the official delegations of the two countries, representatives of the diplomatic corps.

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The High-Level Uzbekistan – Hungary talks have begun with a narrow-format meeting.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev greeted the distinguished guest and noted that this visit will serve as the beginning of a new stage in relations between Uzbekistan and Hungary.

Viktor Orban sincerely thanked the President of Uzbekistan for the warm welcome and confirmed Hungary’s interest in enhancing multifaceted cooperation with Uzbekistan.

Prospects for the development of cooperation in the political, trade, economic, investment, financial, technical, cultural and humanitarian spheres were discussed at the meeting.

The parties confirmed their readiness to bring Uzbekistan – Hungary relations based on mutual trust and a wide range of common interests to the level of strategic partnership. The leaders agreed to strengthen long-term cooperation, use new mutually beneficial areas, and maintain ties between businesspeople and regions of the two countries.

Views were exchanged on the issues of mutual interest on the international and regional agenda. The parties confirmed the coincidence of views and approaches to strengthening peace, security and stability.

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President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban continued negotiations with the participation of official delegations of the two countries.

The President of Uzbekistan noted with satisfaction that the arrival of a large Hungarian delegation, despite the conditions of the pandemic, testifies to the strong friendship and mutual respect of the two countries.

The peoples of Uzbekistan and Hungary share common historical roots and close partnerships. Hungary is one of Uzbekistan’s important partners in the European Union. This partnership is being strengthened every year thanks to mutual efforts and practical cooperation.

Over the past four years, the trade turnover between the two countries has almost tripled. Despite the difficult circumstances of the pandemic, this positive dynamic was maintained last year.

The close interaction of businesspeople and regions is an important factor in this area. In February 2021, Budapest hosted the Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation and a Business Forum. The First Meeting of Uzbekistan – Hungary Business Council took place in Tashkent on March 29.

It was noted that there are huge untapped opportunities for cooperation. The main attention was paid to the issues of further strengthening trade-economic, investment and financial ties.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the importance of increasing trade turnover, eliminating the imbalance in bilateral trade, and implementing mutual supplies of demanded products.

The need for effectively using the opportunities of Uzbekistan – Hungary Trade House to be created in Budapest, was emphasized.

Industrial cooperation is another priority of cooperation. Agreements were reached on the implementation of new projects in Uzbekistan in the food industry, pharmaceuticals, agricultural processing, chemistry and mechanical engineering using the best practices of Hungary.

Interregional cooperation is also developing. Thus, in Samarkand and Jizzakh regions, it is planned to introduce the Hungarian experience in modernizing the economy and social sphere, industrializing agriculture, and increasing the export potential. For this purpose, a group of highly qualified experts arrived from Hungary.

The President of Uzbekistan proposed to establish a partnership between the regions of the two countries and hold an annual Forum of Regions.

The Hungarian side expressed its readiness to exchange best practices and technologies in agriculture, fruit storage and processing, fish farming and seed production.

Special attention was paid to the development of cultural-humanitarian cooperation.

The two countries have established an exchange of experience in healthcare, science and education. This academic year, students from Uzbekistan received more than 100 grants to study at Hungarian universities. This year, the University of Debrecen will start operating in Tashkent.

At the event, an agreement was reached on the consistent continuation of cooperation in this direction, further strengthening ties between scientific and cultural institutions.

The parties closely cooperate and support each other within the framework of international and regional structures, such as the United Nations, the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States.

Responsible persons were instructed to develop a roadmap for the implementation of the agreements reached during the negotiations.

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President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Uzbekistan – Hungary Potato Research Center in Tashkent region’s Yuqorichirchiq district.

The institution was established in cooperation with the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences based on a system of knowledge and innovation in agriculture.

The Head of the state pays special attention to the development of potato growing as it is one of the basic consumer products. Its quality and availability affect the well-being of every family.

A large number of seeds are required to meet the demand of the domestic market for potatoes. Uzbekistan imports 200-300 thousand tons of consumer and 17 thousand tons of seed potatoes.

The new center will test Hungarian varieties and produce seed potatoes. A comprehensive quality assurance system will be developed for the entire potato production process by crossing Hungarian and Uzbekistan varieties. More than 50 varieties will be localized and the potato gene pool will be improved.

As a result of the use of innovative methods, it is planned to increase the yield by 30-50 percent in 2021-2023. By 2024, it is planned to harvest 21 thousand tons of seed potatoes and completely replace its imports.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Viktor Orban became acquainted with conditions created here.

The research center has in vitro laboratories and for plant pathology, physiology of potato storage, quality control, facilities for the preparation, cultivation and storage of samples, equipped with modern equipment. Four scientists from Hungary have arrived to organize the center's activities.

The Head of the state met with specialists and responsible persons. He stressed the need for expanding training, educating farmers in the center, bringing the success of potato growing in all regions.

The guests also visited the center of agricultural services for farmers, equipment and technologies used in the agriculture of Uzbekistan.

UzA