“A 50-million-euro Hungary-Kyrgyzstan investment fund is to be established to facilitate investments in Central Asia by Hungarian enterprises”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

The Minister explained that he had held a telephone meeting with Kyrgyzstani Foreign Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov. “Cooperation between the two countries is increasingly tight thanks to joint work in the Turkic Council”, Mr. Szijjártó said, pointing out that the Kyrgyzstani President had planned to visit Budapest in April, but the visit has been postponed until the second half of the year.

The Hungarian Foreign Minster stressed that the parties had agreed to finalise four documents prior to the visit. “The European Union has authorised the conclusion of an investment protection agreement between the two countries, while three rounds of negotiations have already been completed with relation to an agreement on avoiding double taxation. There is also no dispute concerning the proposed strategic partnership statement, and the parties have agreed on the establishment of a 50-million-euro joint investment fund that will facilitate investments in the Central Asian region on the part of Hungarian enterprises”, Mr. Szijjártó listed.

He pointed out that Kyrgyzstan is also battling the global pandemic on an economic and healthcare front alike. “We agreed that a direct link will be established between our relative ministries responsible for healthcare in view of the fact that the sharing of epidemiological and virus management experience has already proven useful”, Mr. Szijjártó stated.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)