Tied-up with a diplomatic engagement with the visiting Hungarian Foreign and Trade Minister, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday in a smart move pre-empted the media from attributing reasons to her absence at the swearing-in ceremony of 19 Ministers in Modi Cabinet. In an early morning tweet, Swaraj explained she has prescheduled meeting with her Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto, hence, she could not attend the function at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
“Media – Pl avoid the headline: ‘Sushma skips Oath Ceremony’,” Swaraj tweeted two hours before the oath ceremony. In another tweet, she said she had a meeting with her Hungarian counterpart, anticipating a negative headline in the media as she could not make it to the swearing-in ceremony.
However, she conveyed her good wishes to the new team that was joining the Cabinet. “I congratulate and welcome all my colleagues joining the Council of Ministers,” she said.
Hungary’s Foreign Affairs Minister is on a three-day visit to India. On Tuesday, the two leaders held talks on a range of bilateral and multilateral issues. According to sources, Swaraj thanked Hungary for its support to India’s membership of MTCR and NSG. The two Ministers also discussed multilateral issues including reform of the UNSC and the election of the new Secretary General of the United Nations. Hungary supports India as a permanent member in a reformed UNSC. They also exchanged views on the recent spate of terror attacks and the need for adoption of the CCIT.
Swaraj expressed appreciation for Hungary’s cooperation in celebrating the first ever Ganga-Danube Cultural Festival and the 2nd International Day of Yoga which was attended by Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma. Government of Hungary has established a Hungarian Room at Tagore House in Kolkata and is prepared to set up India Centre and Hindi teaching facility in the University of Budapest. A Joint India – Hungary S&T Fund of Euro 2 million has been created to promote research in agriculture, Pharma, ICT, nanotechnology and molecular biology.