Mirziyoyev invites Orbán to Tashkent following bilateral talks

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the Carmelita Palace in Budapest. The talks were held in a narrow format and later expanded to include official delegations. The meeting was reported by the press service of the President of Uzbekistan.

Discussions focused on strengthening the strategic partnership and enhancing multifaceted cooperation between Uzbekistan and Hungary. President Mirziyoyev expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Orbán for the warm welcome extended to the Uzbek delegation.

Both sides noted with satisfaction that practical cooperation is progressing steadily across various sectors. Emphasis was placed on increasing bilateral trade to 500 million euros in the initial phase, including support for import substitution and leveraging GSP+ status. To this end, Uzbekistan will accredit laboratories in line with European Union standards, launch a program for pre-certification of goods, and create a joint platform to support exporting companies.

The current portfolio of joint investment projects amounts to \$500 million, with new initiatives totaling an additional 1.5 billion euros prepared in connection with this visit.

It was agreed to develop and adopt an Investment Partnership Program at the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, scheduled to be held in Budapest this July. The sides also proposed resuming the activities of the Uzbek-Hungarian Business Council and convening its next session soon with broad participation from the business community.

The two leaders welcomed the successful outcomes of the inaugural Forum of Regions, held in Kokand in October last year. In order to further boost interregional ties, preparations will begin for the second regional forum, which is to be hosted in Hungary.

The meeting also addressed the development of direct air travel between Uzbekistan and Hungary to promote business, tourism, and cultural exchanges.

Special attention was given to expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation. The Uzbek side proposed declaring the coming year the "Year of Culture of Uzbekistan and Hungary." Preparations are underway to stage the ballet "Lazgi" at the Hungarian State Opera House and organize an exhibition of Uzbek culture at the Ethnographic Museum in Budapest.

Educational cooperation under the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship program will continue. The two sides also discussed introducing a mutual diploma recognition system and establishing branches of Hungarian universities in Uzbekistan.

In this context, Uzbekistan proposed hosting the third Forum of Rectors of Uzbekistan and Hungary in Tashkent later this year.

The leaders also exchanged views on key international and regional issues. They emphasized the importance of continued cooperation in combating terrorism, extremism, drug and human trafficking, and other contemporary threats to security.

To ensure the implementation of agreements reached during the talks, the relevant ministries were tasked with drafting a joint roadmap.

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev formally invited Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to pay an official return visit to Uzbekistan.