“Hungary is assisting countries that supported us when we were in a difficult position because of the coronavirus epidemic; this is why we are now providing respirators to Kyrgyzstan”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI from the Kyrgyz Republic on Wednesday.

With relation to his visit to Bishkek, the Minister explained: “The coronavirus pandemic has brought many incalculable and unexpected turns of events, and it is impossible to know exactly how things will develop in future, we cannot know who will find themselves in trouble and when”. “For precisely this reason, the role of international cooperation is increasing to an extremely high degree”, he pointed out. “There was a period when Europe, and within it Hungary, was facing major challenges and was experiencing a difficult period”, he recalled. “And at that time every single member state of the Turkic Council rushed to our aid”, he said. “Now the foot is on the other shoe, now Central Asia is in bigger trouble than Europe, and the countries that assisted Hungary earlier are now asking for our assistance”, he stated.

“In the interests of being able to continue to rely on each other in the upcoming period, it is natural that we are now assisting those who are in a difficult situation, because when we were in a difficult position, they supported us”, the Minister highlighted. “This is why we now brought 20 respirators to Kyrgyzstan, because the capacity of the country’s healthcare system is approaching its limits”, he said. “Hungary has made a major effort to procure the equipment necessary for healthcare protection, thanks to which we can now bring these 20 respirators to Kyrgyzstan without endangering our own state of readiness for even the worst-case scenario”, he stated. “In addition, we also brought with is a donation of pharmaceuticals for Kyrgyzstan from Austria”, he noted.

“The coronavirus epidemic is not only having an effect on healthcare, but also on the economy, and we must now prepare to ensure that Hungarian enterprises can set off from the best possible starting position within the new global economic system”, Mr. Szijjártó also explained. “The presence and success of Hungarian enterprises in Central Asia must also be prepared now”, he added. “Accordingly, we have agreed on the precise texts of our agreements on the avoidance of double taxation and the mutual protection of investments, which we will now be able to sign in the near future”. “Hungarian pharmaceutical products enjoy a major share of the Kyrgyzstan market, and their presence is continuously increasing”, he explained. “In addition, Hungarian participation in international projects concerning the disposal of nuclear waste is also in preparation”, he added. The Minister also spoke about the fact that the stability of Central Asia is extremely important from the perspective of European security in view of the fact that the region is vulnerable to terrorism, Islamic extremism, and processes that set out from Afghanistan. “It is important that we should assist the countries of Central Asia within the framework of counter-terrorism and security cooperation, and accordingly Hungary is supporting the Kyrgyz Republic’s bid for membership of the UN Security Council, as well as the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between the European Union and Kyrgyzstan at the earliest opportunity”, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade / MTI)