The direct outcomes of the visit include cultural as well as economic cooperation. Hungary’s MOL and Japan’s JSR will establish a joint venture to produce synthetic rubber in northeastern Hungary, a region hard hit by unemployment. Hungary committed to supporting a free trade agreement between the EU and Japan. And the two sides agreed that Japan, with its know-how in nuclear and renewable energy, should play a major role in Hungary’s strategic goal of reducing energy dependency.

The Hungarian embassy in Tokyo opened a new cultural and tourist center as was opened at the Hungarian embassy in Tokyo as tourism from Japan to Hungary has grown 10 percent over the last year. Hungary also announced a scholarship program to support 100 Japanese students to study in Hungary each year.

All these practical details are important for the future but equally important is the particularly good will that characterized the atmosphere of the entire visit. Hungary understands geopolitical realities, but those should not stop us from also looking for strategic partners outside the European Union. Some say that Hungarians and Japanese have similarities in our way of thinking, and I was able to see first-hand that mutual understanding. That bodes well for the future of our cooperation

By Ferenc Kumin

Source: A Blog About Hungary

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