Joint Press Conference with Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi - Signing of Australia-Hungary Social Security Agreement

Subjects: Australia-Hungary bilateral relations, ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Social Security Agreement, Afghanistan, UN Security Council

Transcript, E&OE, proof only

Gödöllõ, Hungary

7 June 2011

János Martonyi: (speaks Hungarian)

Interpreter: May I limit myself to the bilateral talks rather than the two days of this conference because with my Australian counterpart I have discussed a range of global and multilateral issues, especially as reflected by yesterday's events.

This is not surprising at all since Australia is a key actor within the Asian region and is also affiliated to the G20 and is a major contributor to the establishment of global assistance.

Australia has a thousand links to Europe and including Central Europe given the enormous number of communities that live in Australia including Hungarians which is why Australia has a number of special links to this continent.

János Martonyi: so Australia is bridge, with special links, special bond, to Asia on the one hand and Europe on the other (continues in Hungarian).

Interpreter: Without entering too much into details let me just mention that our bilateral relations are in a very good state and they are continuously developing.

Now we have signed a social security agreement.

So the social security agreement facilitates all relations, especially human relations, because it allowes pensioners to obtain their due entitlements.

We are still waiting for Australian investors in Hungary.

And yesterday the Prime Minister had talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and they agreed to establish a group in order to enhance more economic investment and commercial relations between the two countries.

Of course we do rely on Hungarian communities living in Australia.

And hopefully our budget will allow us to develop a Consulate General in Sydney.

Today's discussions have convinced me that even though Hungary and Australia are two countries that are far away from each other at the same time they are linked by many a common idea, world view and other forms of ideologies.

János Martonyi: In fact these are not just very close to one another but in many, in most, cases identical. That's what I said.

Kevin Rudd: Good. Well, first of all Minister thank you for your hospitality and for welcoming me to Budapest and this my first visit to Hungary.

We had a very good bilateral discussion now on our multilateral cooperation, challenges of Asia, challenges of Europe and what we and Hungary can do together in the future.

I also had a very good conversation with the Prime Minister yesterday in the parliament building about how we deepen, in particular, our economic engagement in the future.

Australians have a deep affection for Hungary.

Australians are very conscious of the challenges this country has faced over the last fifty, sixty years.

And we have in Australia some 100 thousand Hungarian-Australians who have made a great contribution to our country.

And also the fact that we have signed a Social Security Agreement makes it easier for these Hungarian-Australians to operate and to live in both countries.

Mulitlaterally I'd like to congratulate the Minister on his excellent chairmanship of this conference of Asian and European Foreign Ministers.

For our friends in Hungary let me emphasise this point: to bring to a single meeting in Budapest the foreign ministers of China, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and others is a very significant event.

In Asia these economies, including our own, represent in the future between 40-50% of global GDP. The 21st century global economy will have a huge emphasis on Asia and the Pacific - so our friends in Europe have a deep interest in the future properity and stability of East Asia and the Pacific.

And this meeting in Budapest is a very important step in that process of the great countries and civilisations of Europe engaging the new economies and new dynamism of East Asia.

So Foreign Minister I congratulate you on your successfull chairmanship of this Conference bringing together so many significant countries from around the world.

Australia and Hungary remain committed together in Afghanistan where we continue to support the strategy which was agreed to by NATO ISAF forces in support of the people of Afghanistan.

Australia has one and a half thousand troops in Afghanistan. We are the largest non-NATO contributer to that conflict.

But we share with our Hungarian friends this experience in Afghanistan which is important for the future of Afghanistan, and in Afghanistan we Australians continue to suffer losses of our own troops.

Finally multilaterally we also work closely with the United Nations, and we are both candidates for the United Nations Security Council.

Hungary comes up for election in September–October this year, and Australia in September and October of next year, and I'd like to confirm publicly the fact that Australia and Hungary are supporting each others' candidatures and will be voting for each other.

So Minister, thank you for your hospitality, and I'm enjoying my visit to Hungary and look forward to seeing you in Australia soon.

Question: (in Hungarian)

János Martonyi: (answers in Hungarian)

Kevin Rudd: I agree with him (laughter).

Question: Mr Rudd - about the Social Security Agreement - have you already signed such agreements with other countries as well or is Hungary the first or the last? Or is it a part of a policy you are extending to the rest of the world?

Kevin Rudd: Hungary is neither the first nor the last but it is a very important important part of the middle.

We do this with many countries around the world because in Australia we are a country of migrants.

Australians come from everywhere around the world - so for example in this region we are just concluding these agreements with Hungary, I think also with Slovakia, the Czech Republic. This is normal, and it's very important for Australians who come from the countries of Europe in particular.

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