Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Hungarian Ambassador to Pakistan Istvan Szabo on Tuesday said that the currently trade between Hungary and Pakistan is $39 million, which – with the mutual efforts – would be enhanced in the near future.

He was speaking on Pakistan-Hungary relations during a public talk organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) as part of its Ambassador’s Platform series.

Istvan Szabo said that Pakistan and Hungary established diplomatic relations in 1965 and last year celebrated the golden jubilee of the ties between the two countries. He said that Pakistan had helped a lot of Hungarians, especially when the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.

He said that the then prime minister of Pakistan, Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, and a prominent diplomat of that time, Agha Shahi, played an active role. Pakistan at the United Nations and other forums demanded the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary.

To a question on bilateral trade, he said, “I am not happy over the low volume of bilateral trade. I am trying to taken some measures for increasing it. Through economic diplomacy, we met 38 outstanding Pakistani businessmen recently and we are opening up trade office in Karachi soon.”

The Hungarian ambassador said that Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir would also visit Hungary very soon. He said that both people and traders of the two countries lacked information about each other, which was also a major hurdle in increasing trade. “More exchanges of businessmen and people from different fields can play a constructive and positive role for enhancing trade between the two countries,” he said.

“Hungary is offering some 80 scholarships to Pakistani students for higher education, which would be enhanced to 200 scholarships,” the diplomat added.

He said that Pakistan’s Indus Valley civilisation was amongst the oldest of the world, and Hungarian people had been visiting this part of the world for centuries.

He said that during the 2005 earthquake, Hungary provided medical and other support to the affected people. Hungarian Company MOL had given $0.5 million for the affected areas, he said.

Hungarian Oil and Gas Company MOL Business Support Head Afzaal Akhtar said that his company had invested $2 billion in Pakistan. He said that MOL was producing 280 million cubic feet of gas, 21,000 barrels of oil and 500 metric tonnes of LPG per day in Pakistan. As corporate social responsibility, the company expended $25 million in operating areas for the welfare of the local communities, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, ISSI Director General Masood Khan said that Hungary was an important country in Europe, adding that Budapest was among the most beautiful capitals on earth.

Speaking on the occasion, ISSI Board of Governors Chairman Ambassador Khalid Mahmood said that top political leaderships of Pakistan and Hungary had not visited each other since long. He suggested top-level visit exchanges between both the countries, terming it “necessary” to further strengthen bilateral relations.