Excellencies, dear friends, members of the ITEC family, Namaste and jó napot kívánok

It is a great pleasure to welcome you this evening as we celebrate ITEC Day, the day that marks the founding, in September 1964, of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, the flagship of India's development partnership with the world. But tonight is not only about a programme or an institution. It is, above all, a celebration of you, the ITEC alumni of Hungary, who have lived the India experience and returned home as its friends and ambassadors.

India and Hungary enjoy a relationship that is warm, friendly and, I am pleased to say, remarkably free of irritants. There are no outstanding disputes between us, no contentious issues dividing us. Ours is a partnership of mutual respect and democratic values, built on goodwill that has endured through decades of change in both our countries.

This warmth was visible once again just days ago, when our External Affairs Minister met Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs, in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. We are equally encouraged by the strong start made by the India-Visegrád Four collaboration, which has opened a promising new avenue for India's engagement with Central Europe, with Hungary as a valued partner in that framework.

Within this rich relationship, education and training form a special pillar. And here, two flagship programmes stand side by side: Hungary's generous Stipendium Hungaricum, which brings hundreds of Indian students to this beautiful country each year, and India's ITEC, which has, over the years, welcomed a long and distinguished series of Hungarian participants, professionals, teachers, civil servants, military officers and scholars. Together, these two programmes have built a true two-way bridge of learning between our peoples, and I thank the Government of Hungary for its commitment to both.

I would like to acknowledge, with pride and gratitude, the very talented and diverse community of ITEC alumni in Hungary. You are diplomats and defence officers, academics and administrators, engineers and entrepreneurs, and you serve Hungary with distinction while carrying India in your hearts. This evening, some of you will share your ITEC experiences with us, the most authentic testimony to what this programme means. Please join me in applauding our alumni in advance, for this day belongs to them. They are the strongest stones in the bridge of friendship between India and Hungary, every course completed and every memory carried home has strengthened that bridge, one stone at a time.

Friends, I am delighted to announce this evening that India has decided to double the number of ITEC slots for Hungary. This is a concrete expression of our commitment to this partnership and to you. More Hungarian professionals will now have the opportunity to train in India each year. I encourage all of you and your institutions to make full use of this expansion.

What is it that makes ITEC unique? Over six decades, it has trained more than 200,000 professionals from over 160 partner countries, offering around 10,000 fully-funded training slots every year. But numbers alone do not capture its spirit. ITEC is built on a simple yet profound Indian ethos: that knowledge must be shared, not sold; that cooperation must be based on equality, not conditionality. When India shares its developmental experience, it does so as a partner, never as a superior, no strings attached, no hidden agendas, only an honest desire to walk together on the path of progress.

The flexibility and diversity of ITEC is its hallmark. The programme offers courses in virtually every field of human endeavour, from nanotechnology and artificial intelligence to banking and public administration, from renewable energy to, indeed, the science of Yoga. Where else can a defence officer, a university professor and a yoga practitioner each find a course tailored to their needs, under one programme? ITEC is demand-driven: it responds to what partner countries ask for, and it evolves with the times.

ITEC is also a living expression of South–South solidarity. It was conceived in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is one family. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India has reasserted its commitment to being a strong and reliable voice of the Global South. From the Voice of Global South Summits to our development partnership in Asia, Africa and Latin America, India stands with fellow developing countries in their pursuit of progress and dignity. ITEC is the human face of that commitment.

Friends, a bridge is only as strong as the stones that hold it. Tonight, we honour those stones. To our Hungarian ITEC alumni: thank you for what you have built. To those who will follow: India awaits you with open arms. And to our two nations: may the bridge of friendship between India and Hungary grow ever stronger, bear ever more weight, and lead us ever forward together.

Köszönöm szépen. Thank you. Jai Hind.

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