Philippines, Hungary fortify bilateral relations in Budapest

The Philippines and Hungary highlighted their continued growth in bilateral cooperation during the 7th Philippines-Hungary Political Consultations held in Budapest, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The meeting, which was conducted on September 26, was attended by the Philippine delegation’s DFA Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Philippine Ambassador to Hungary Frank Cimafranca, and other officials from the Philippine Embassy in Budapest.

The Hungarian side, on the other hand, was composed of delegation head Deputy State Secretary for Development of Eastern Relations Adam Stifter, and several officials from the Department of Fastest Growing Economies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The two countries reviewed the status of their pending agreements on financial cooperation and transport, and looked at ways to make more use of their existing agreements on agriculture and science and technology, focusing on sustainable agriculture and information technology, the DFA said.

They also agreed to look into a possible bilateral labor agreement to govern the labor cooperation between the Philippines and Hungary, considering the fast-growing number of Filipino workers being deployed to Hungary.

The Philippine delegation thanked Hungary for providing educational opportunities for Filipino scholars to study in Hungarian universities through the Stipendium Hungaricum program, which annually allocates 35 slots for qualified Filipinos.

In return, the Hungarian delegation told them to encourage Filipinos to study nuclear engineering under the scholarship program to learn more about possible energy solutions for the Philippines in the future.

They also exchanged views on several regional issues affecting both countries, such as the security situations in Southeast Asia, the South China Sea, and Europe.

Both parties also discussed the upcoming 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Hungary in 2023. —Giselle Ombay/KG, GMA News