Largest Hungarian bank delegation due in Iran soon: Envoy

A delegation of the largest Hungarian commercial bank is expected to visit Iran in the near future, the country’s Ambassador to Iran Janos Kovacs said, according to an Iranian newspaper, AVA Diplomatic reports.

“We are expecting the delegation of OTP Bank, the largest Hungarian commercial bank, to visit Iran. In addition, an MoU between the two countries’ Central Banks is on the table to be inked and foster banking ties, Kovacs said according to a report by the English-language newspaper Iran Daily on Wednesday.

He said he is sure Iran is going to enjoy benefits of the July 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and the major world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He made the remark, addressing a ceremony held in Tehran on Monday on the occasion of the National Day of Hungary commemorating the 61st anniversary of the country’s 1956 Revolution.

The function was also attended by Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht-e Ravanchi and a number of foreign ambassadors to Iran.

“We are all aware that the Iranian nation is pretty much impatient to see the benefits of the deal,” the Hungarian ambassador to Iran said.

Kovacs reaffirmed the commitment of his country as well that of Europe to and support for the JCPOA and its implementation, adding, “Sometimes it faces challenges. But at this point, let me – as a European – refer to a statement, unanimously issued by the European Union last week. And I quote it again: ‘The EU is committed to the continued full and effective implementation of all parts of the JCPOA. The EU underlines that the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions has a positive impact on trade and economic relations with Iran including benefits for the Iranian people.’”

Commenting on the JCPOA, also known as the Iran Deal, he said there were, and still are, high expectations as far as the outcomes of the deal are concerned.

He listed a few examples of the developments in bilateral relations between Iran and Hungary in 2017, following and as a result of the signing and going into effect of the JCPOA, as the increased number of visits by senior Hungarian officials as well as delegations to Iran, the signing and implementation of several agreements and MoUs between the two countries as well as efforts by the two sides to improve cooperation in banking, trade, energy, agriculture, culture, science, education and tourism sectors.

On the increased number of visits from Hungary to Iran, he said, “As a follow up of the former visits of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Speaker of the National Assembly László Kövér, we welcomed in Iran Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén and the deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, János Latorcai, followed by several other high-ranking political and business delegations of our county. We have signed new agreements and MoUs.”

Commenting on the agreement and MoUs signed by the two sides, he said the agreements on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and on Economic Cooperation have entered into force.

“I recently had the pleasure to initialize the bilateral Agreement on Investment Protection to be signed soon,” he said.

Elaborating on the two sides’ efforts to foster collaborations in different sectors, he said, “The Iranian imports of hundreds of IKARUS buses is on the agenda, to be followed by partial local production.

“In the field of energy we can renew our collaboration by providing the new generation of dry system cooling towers for Iranian power stations in need,’ he added.

“Agriculture sector provides us with a wide range of cooperation opportunities in the areas Hungary has traditionally been strong at (seeds, animal feed supplements, livestock and meat export, etc.).

“We strengthen our cultural scientific and educational ties and as a result, in the current academic year, there will be approximately 2,000 Iranian students studying at Hungarian universities.

“We also try to meet the increasing interest of Iranian tourists in Hungary and to make it come true the Consular Section of our Embassy has considerably been broadened while launching direct flights between Tehran and Budapest is in the process of negotiation too.”

Promising Iranians to soon witness the positive outcomes of the JCPOA, Kovacs said these are just a few examples of the deal’s favorable results related to only one European country, Hungary.