Hungary to stop issuing worker visas to citizens of the Philippines,  Georgia, and Armenia

ArmInfo.  Hungary's government will stop issuing worker visas to employees from the  Philippines, Georgia and Armenia from Friday, as stated by government  spokeswoman Vanda Szondi.

 She described this step as the first step in a policy to regulate  the influx of foreign labor. Szondi stated that attracting foreign  workers to Hungary is pushing down local salaries and reducing  employment opportunities. Citizens of the Philippines, Georgia, and  Armenia already working in Hungary will still be able to apply for  extensions of their permits, Georgia's Channel One reports. 

According to Reuters, official statistics indicate that foreign  workers make up only about 2% of Hungary's workforce, but some  sectors, such as services and manufacturing, rely heavily on labor  from abroad. 

Recall, diplomatic relations between Armenia and Hungary were frozen  after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reinstated Ramil Safarov  as a national "hero" to Azerbaijan in 2012, having hacked to death  Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan with an axe. Margaryan was  undergoing military training in Hungary.

Ten years later, in December 2022, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat  Mirzoyan met with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, on the  sidelines of the 29th OSCE Ministerial Meeting. Following the  meeting, the two sides agreed to restore full diplomatic relations,  expressing their intention to open a new chapter in  Armenian-Hungarian relations based on mutual trust and respect for  international law. In May 2023, Armenia appointed Ashot Smbatyan as a  non-resident ambassador to Hungary.