Budapest, August 20, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban in Budapest.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban thanked President Ilham Aliyev for accepting the invitation to visit his country.

President Ilham Aliyev congratulated the Prime Minister on the occasion of the public holiday of Hungary.

Noting his visit to Hungary this January, the head of state stressed the importance of fruitful and comprehensive discussions held during the trip, and praised the successful implementation of the agreements reached.

President Ilham Aliyev invited the Prime Minister of Hungary to pay a visit to Azerbaijan.

The invitation was gratefully accepted.

During the meeting, they hailed the successful development of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungary, including in the field of oil and gas, and emphasized the significance of delivering Azerbaijani gas to the Hungarian market. The sides noted Hungary's investment in Azerbaijan in the field of food industry, and the positive dynamics achieved in cooperation in the areas of pharmaceutical industry, touched upon the importance of implementation of Baku-Budapest flights through the Hungarian air carrier, and lauded the overall development of bilateral relations.

They described the start of Hungarian companies' activities in the ongoing restoration and construction works carried out in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan as a positive step, and underlined that there are greater opportunities in this area. The sides noted cooperation in the field of science and education, in particular, applauded the granting of higher education scholarships to Azerbaijani students in Hungary, and emphasized cooperation in the field of vocational education in the future.

During the conversation, they also stressed the importance of signing the Agreement on a strategic partnership in the field of green energy between the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary and continuing efforts towards the implementation of the project to lay an electric cable under the Black Sea. The sides noted the significance of the Middle Corridor, and the increase in cargo transportation.

They praised the successful cooperation of the two countries within the Organization of Turkic States and other international organizations.