The Hindu : Hungarian PM arrives on seven-day visit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 03, 2003

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Hungarian PM arrives on seven-day visit

By Our Special Correspondent

Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

The Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Medgyessy, and his wife, Katalin Csaplar, with the Union Minister of State for Finance, Sripad Naik, on their arrival at the Palam Air Force station in New Delhi on Sunday.

NEW DELHI NOV. 2. The Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Medgyessy, arrived here today on a seven-day State visit. Accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising members of the Hungarian Government, several leading representatives of Hungarian business and mass media, Mr. Medgyssey will seek to rebuild economic ties that have suffered a downturn over the past decade and develop closer all-round bilateral ties.

This will be the first visit to India by a Hungarian Prime Minister in 29 years and comes at time when Hungary is set to join the European Union.It is also the first visit at the Head of Government level after the political and economic transformation of Hungary in the early 90s.

"The visit is therefore a landmark event and is expected to reinforce the friendly ties between the two countries,'' said a Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, the Hungarian Prime Minister had outlined the areas of economic interest to both countries which will include both traditional as well as new areas such as electronics, software, biotechnology and cooperation in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and vehicles. The renewed cooperation, he noted, is taking place in a better atmosphere - between a democratic Hungary with a market economy and imminent E.U. membership and India with its large and dynamic economy.

During his visit, Mr. Medgyessy will have discussions with the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on the entire range of bilateral relations and on regional and international issues. He will also call on the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the Vice-President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. The External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, will call on the Hungarian Prime Minister. Mr. Medgyessy will address the Joint Business Council and business representatives of FICCI, CII and the Hungarian business.

He will participate in the cultural events marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hungarian Cultural Centre in New Delhi. He is also scheduled to deliver a talk at the Indian Council of World Affairs. Besides New Delhi, Mr. Medgyessy and his delegation will visit Agra, Bangalore and Mumbai.

In Bangalore, the Hungarian Prime Minister will meet the Karnataka Governor and also have a business meeting with the Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation (FIEO). In Mumbai, he will meet the Maharashtra Governor.

He will meet representatives of the EXIM Bank and the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Both at Bangalore and Mumbai, he will visit some key industrial and technological establishments and an international IT exhibition "IT.Com".

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