Hungary will support customs-free regime on fisheries to be extended to Maldives as well: FM

The government of Hungary will support the customs-free regime on fisheries to be extended to the Maldives as well, says Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó.

The Hungarian minister made this remark while speaking at the joint press conference hosted with the Maldivian foreign minister as part of his recent brief visit to the archipelago nation, on Wednesday.

Stating that since Maldives is the only island nation which does not have the customs-free regime when it comes to fishery products exported to Europe, Minister Szijjártó assured that Hungary will support the customs-free regime on fisheries to be extended to the Maldives as well.

Going on to note that the year Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives Abdulla Shahid fulfilled the position of President of the United Nations General Assembly was a very tough year in the second half of which FM Shahid had to be confronted with all the consequences of the war which broke out in Ukraine, the Hungarian minister stressed that the matter had been discussed a lot since February 2022.

As such, he noted that four meetings were held in New York City to brief each other about the situation and about the international consequences of the war, adding that he had sought help and assistance of FM Shahid who was PGA then, to help the struggle for peace and to have the rhetoric of peace, to overtake the rhetoric of escalation, which he said is unfortunately very strongly out there in the international political arena.

Stressing that the war in Ukraine is a regional war for now but with a global impact, Minister Szijjártó stated that the impacts are the most severe and most immediate on neighboring countries. However he believes that the impacts of the war are severe and serious on far away countries like the Maldives as well.

With this being said, Minister Szijjártó highlighted that Maldives and Hungary are two countries which are in favor of peace and in hope that the voice of others, voice of countries who want peace will be soon as loud as the voice of those who are still speaking about the war and its escalation.

He also expressed hope that the outcome of the mid-term elections in the U.S. will help the peaceful resolution of the war as well.

Adding that when it comes to the Pacific region, Hungary understands that this region is becoming another focal point of geopolitical rivalry, which the minister said is why the significance of those countries like the Maldives, who can base their political approach on common sense and rationality, is increasing.

He assured that Hungary considers the Maldives as an important partner, not only for Europe, for Hungary, but for the European Union as well, given the strategic geographic location of the Maldives and given the stabilizing role of the Maldives in the Pacific.

The Hungarian minister noted that this is why Hungary is a strong supporter of the visa-free regime to be provided to the Maldivian citizens, as the government of Hungary believes the archipelago nation deserves it.

Noting that both countries are improving bilateral cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, the Hungarian minister detailed the key agreements exchanged during the visit.

Regarding the cooperation agreement on the field of sports, Szijjártó stated that the country will be receiving coaches from the Maldives for studies to be conducted in Hungary as well as Maldivian athletes for camps in Hungary.

Prior to concluding his statement, Minister Szijjártó touched upon the issue of climate change, noting that Hungary considers environmental protection as a highly important issue and that for the country environmental protection is not an ideological issue, but a reality and a serious case that they take seriously and responsibly.