Secretary Locsin Receives Hungarian Foreign Minister in First Visit under “New Normal”

PASAY CITY 16 October 2020 – Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. welcomed Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto to Manila on 15 October 2020. The meeting was the sixth between the two top diplomats and the first visit to the Philippines of a Foreign Minister since travel restrictions were imposed due to COVID-19.

During their bilateral meeting, Secretary Locsin and Foreign Minister Szijjarto reaffirmed the excellent relations between the Philippines and Hungary that is premised on respect for each other’s sovereignty. They also discussed enhanced engagement and cooperation in the areas of trade, development and finance, education as well as continued close collaboration in the multilateral fora.

During the visit, Secretary Locsin and Foreign Minister Szijjarto signed the renewal of an agreement on the grant of scholarships to Filipino students pursuing advanced degrees in Hungary in fields such as water management, medicine and engineering under the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program.

This is the second visit of Foreign Minister Szijjarto to the Philippines since 2017. END