New Hungarian ambassador plans to review bilateral cooperation during mandate |07 April 2021

Ambassador Mészáros presents his credentials to President Ramkalawan (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

Reviewing bilateral cooperation including working in partnership in education, in tourism and in agriculture and fisheries, among others, were the highlights of discussion between the newly accredited Hungarian ambassador to Seychelles, Zsolt Mészáros, and President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House yesterday morning.

Mr Mészáros is the fifth Hungarian ambassador to Seychelles.

His accreditation was held in the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, and the principal secretary for Foreign Affairs, Marina Confait.

“We discussed reviewing our bilateral cooperation. We have just started a scholarship programme with Seychelles whereby we offer ten fully paid scholarships to the Seychellois youths to study in Hungary. We are also going to work together in ICT, cyber security and we are going to host a Seychelles/Hungary business forum in the second half of this year if the situation permits obviously. These are the main issues,” Ambassador Mészáros told journalists after his accreditation.

He stated that the discussion between him and President Ramkalawan was also based on opportunities that Seychelles and Hungary could gain through partnership in many fields such as in agriculture and fisheries, namely in fish farming including in the medical field where we can benefit from high quality medical equipment and medical specialists from Hungary.

Noting a lack of fresh milk on our local market, Ambassador Mészáros said that his country has developed a zero grazing breeding technology, where cows need only little space to roam around, which could be applicable here for production of dairy products.

He added that while he would continue, like those before him, to get Hungarian tourists to come to Seychelles, he would also make sure that our tuna makes it to his country.

He hailed the scholarship agreement which, apart from promoting learning and friendship, will also add net value to his country in terms of the number of family members who will come to visit the students.

Before being accredited as Hungarian ambassador to Seychelles, Mr Mészáros has for the last six years been working at the Hungarian embassy in Nairobi, Kenya (where he is based), as a commercial counsellor for five years before being nominated as an ambassador last year.

Ambassador Mészáros, who replaces Ambassador László Eduárd Máthé, arrived in the country on Wednesday last week. He leaves the country today for Nairobi and is expected to be back for the proposed Seychelles/Hungary business forum.

After presenting his credentials, Ambassador Mészáros paid a visit to Vice-President Ahmed Afif.

Seychelles and Hungary established diplomatic relations in November 1977.

Patrick Joubert