The Maldives and Hungary have reaffirmed their commitment to elevate the existing bilateral relations between the two countries to new heights. The remarks were made during a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives Abdulla Shahid and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó in Budapest.
During the meeting, Minister Shahid and Minister Szijjártó reiterated the growing partnership between the Maldives and Hungary. The discussions between the two foreign ministers focused on enhancing tourism cooperation, reducing tariffs on Maldivian fish exports, easier facilitation of Schengen Visa for Maldivians, cooperation in higher education and sports, protection of the environment and combating climate change, and working together at the United Nations (UN) and multilateral platforms.
Furthermore, Minister Shahid expressed gratitude to Minister Szijjártó for the generous support of the government of Hungary, particularly for the Scholarships provided to Maldivian students to study in Hungary under the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme. He also thanked the Hungarian government for joining the VFS Visa Facilitation Centre in Male', making it easier for Maldivians to obtain Hungarian Visa.
Additionally, Minister Shahid met with the Vice President of the Hungarian Parliament Csaba Hende. The meeting took place after a tour of Hungary's Parliament building, which has been a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage site since 1987.