Nokia Siemens Network could expand its centre in Budapest which currently has a staff of 800, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said after meeting with top Nokia officials in Helsinki on Thursday.

Talks on the expansion will start in the coming weeks, Mr Bajnai said.

Mr Bajnai also met with the heads of major Finnish companies, including those of electronics maker Elcoteq and publishing company Sanoma. The companies together employ more than 15,000 people in Hungary.

Mr Bajnai said the government is in talks with Elcoteq on supporting the expansion of its presence in Hungary.

Mr Bajnai gave a presentation on Hungary's crisis-management measures as well as the investment environment, said government spokesman Domokos Szollar.

Hungarian exports to Finland came to EUR 120.7m in the first half of 2008, data from the Central Statistics Office (KSH) shows. Imports from Finland were worth EUR 179.3m.

Finnish data show that Finnish companies have invested some EUR 1bn in Hungary.