New Delhi: On the sidelines of the India-Hungary Business Forum, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday met with the Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in New Delhi to discuss bilateral and global affairs.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, "A real pleasure to welcome FM Peter Szijjarto of Hungary in New Delhi. Look forward to our discussions on bilateral matters and global affairs."

Jaishankar met Minister Szijjarto on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum on September 1-2 2021 in Slovenia and again on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 22, 2021.

India's friendly relations with Hungary continued to grow steadily although the COVID pandemic impacted the pace of activities.

Hungary and India exchanged notes for mutual recognition of COVID vaccination certificates on 8 October 2021. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India issued a notification to bring this into effect from October 25, 2021.

President of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations visited Hungary from September 29 to October 1, 2021. Apart from meeting Deputy State Secretary Marton Schoberl in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, President ICCR also held a meeting with the Indologists at the Department of India studies of Eotvos Lorand University and delivered a public speech at this University on the topic "India@75: From the past, through the present, to the future."

He also attended the Hindi Diwas celebrations organised at the Amrita Shergill Cultural Centre (ASCC) of the Embassy of India. The visit of President ICCR took place in the context of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav activities being organised by the ASCC.

The 160th Birth Anniversary of Nobel laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was celebrated in Balatonfured on May 5 2021 which was attended by the Mayor of Balatonfured. Gurudev Tagore had briefly stayed in this city in November 1926.

As part of Azadi ki Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, an exhibition of paintings on Mahatma Gandhi by Elizabeth Saas Brunner and Elizabeth Brunner - mother-daughter duo painters, was organised at Nagykanisza on November 3, 2021. The event was attended by the Member of Parliament from the city and the Mayor of Nagykanisza city.