Toast Speech by PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Official Dinner hosted in honour of Hungarian PM Orbán Viktor

Your Excellency Orbán Viktor, Prime Minister of Hungary,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I wish a very warm welcome to Prime Minister Orbán, Mrs Lévai Anikó and their delegation. I last met the Prime Minister in 2014 in Milan at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and I’m very happy to see him again. We had the chance to discuss ways to strengthen our growing bilateral relations and to bring our two regions closer together.

Hungary, particularly through its world-class talents in scientific research and technology, has contributed to Singapore’s development. Sir George Radda, a renowned scientist of Hungarian descent was previously the Chairman of A*STAR’s Biomedical Research Council. He also established the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium and the Clinical Imaging Research Centre in Singapore, which contributed significantly to our R&D development. His work continues to inspire students and researchers in Singapore to look for solutions to improve the lives of people.

I too have deep impressions of Hungary’s top academic talents and institutions. When I was in Cambridge, my mathematics supervisor was Professor Béla Bollabás, whom you probably know is a Hungarian. And I received an honorary doctorate from the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) when I visited Budapest in 2007, which was the alma mater of Professor Bollabás and also Prime Minister Orbán.

I am therefore very pleased to see the ongoing collaborations between our research centres and institutes of higher learning. A*Star has been working closely with Vichem Chemie Research to develop drugs for cancer treatment. Local universities in Singapore (NUS, NTU and SMU) also have frequent exchanges with Hungarian universities. I hope that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Education Cooperation between the Singapore Ministry of Education and the Hungarian Ministry of Human Capacities (EMMI) will promote further talent development and education exchanges between our two countries. I would like to particularly thank Hungary for the scholarships, which they will be offering to Singapore students. They would open up new opportunities for Singapore students to study in Hungary and learn from your expertise and experiences. These exchanges will foster greater people-to-people linkages, especially amongst our youths.

I am also glad that our collaboration extends to sports, which is a conducive activity to bring people and communities together. Hungary is a major sports nation, and I understand that the Prime Minister was a professional once, an avid sports fan and a former athlete. Several Singapore sports institutions, including the Singapore Sports School, have visited Hungary to learn from your sporting excellence.

Singapore and Hungary are natural partners for bringing our two regions together. We are both gateways – one to Central and Eastern Europe and one to Southeast Asia.

PM Lee Hsien Loong

I am particularly happy to see that the Prime Minister has brought along a sizeable business delegation. It signals Hungary’s strong economic interest in the region. I hope both sides will have fruitful discussions at the Business Forum tomorrow morning. Singapore and Hungary are natural partners for bringing our two regions together. We are both gateways – one to Central and Eastern Europe and one to Southeast Asia. Hungary is an important emerging market in Europe, and a major trade and manufacturing centre for Central and Eastern Europe. Singapore is a trading and financial hub for ASEAN and beyond. Hungary is Singapore’s largest Visegrád 4 trading partner. Likewise, Singapore is Hungary’s largest ASEAN trading partner. I look forward to the ratification of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) for this will also give a further boost to Singapore-Hungary relations.

Prime Minister, I thank you for visiting Singapore and I wish you and your delegation a productive time here. I am confident that your visit will spur greater cooperation and exchanges between our two countries and peoples, and our two regions.

Prime Minister, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, may I now invite you to join me in a toast to the good health and success of Prime Minister Orbán, Mrs Lévai and the delegation; and the enduring and close friendship between Hungary and Singapore. Cheers.