General Secretary arrives in Budapest, begins official visit to Hungary

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation were welcomed at the airport by Minister of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Hungary-Vietnam Cooperation Subcommittee Balogh Csaba, Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Tien Thuc, along with a large number of embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Hungary. The official welcoming ceremony was solemnly held at Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

The visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Hungary is a historic event, the first visit by the General Secretary of our Party to a country in the Central Eastern European region since the period of institutional transition in these countries. After establishing diplomatic relations on February 3, 1950, over nearly 7 decades, the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary have developed strongly.

Hungary has given Vietnam valuable support and assistance in the cause of national defense and development. Over the years, the relationship between the two countries has developed very positively. Political relations have a high level of trust. The two sides maintain the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level ones, through all channels of the Party, Government, National Assembly, and localities, contributing to enhancing mutual understanding and trust.

The Vietnam-Hungary Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation has played a good role in promoting bilateral cooperation. The two countries have signed many agreements, documents and arrangements, creating a legal basis for cooperation in various fields. In addition, the two sides have cooperated effectively at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations and within the framework of the Asia-Europe Economic Forum.

In recent years, economic and trade relations between the two countries have grown strongly, with import-export turnover between the two countries reaching over 355 million USD for the first time in 2017. Regarding investment, as of the end of April 2018, Hungary had 17 valid projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of nearly 65 million USD, ranking 57th out of 126 countries and territories with direct investment in Vietnam.

Bilateral relations have been actively promoted in the fields of legislation, justice, defense - security, health, education - training, and cooperation between localities. Education is a traditional field of cooperation and also a bright spot in the relationship between the two countries in the new period. During Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to Vietnam in 2017, Hungary increased the number of scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in this country to 200, starting from the 2018-2019 school year.

The official visit to Hungary by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong aims to create a new milestone, new momentum, and new height in the bilateral relationship, enhancing mutual understanding and trust between the leaders and people of Vietnam and Hungary. The visit also affirms Vietnam's policy of considering Hungary as a leading traditional partner in the Central Eastern European region, strengthening relations between the two ruling parties, and creating a basis for promoting bilateral relations in areas where both sides have potential and strengths.

During his visit, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will hold talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meet with Hungarian leaders, and discuss in-depth measures to bring bilateral relations to a new level./.