Kazakhstan is an important partner to Hungary, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday in Budapest following talks with his Kazakh counterpart, Kairat Abdrakhmanov.

At the press conference following the meeting, the Minister justified the importance of Hungarian-Kazakh relations with the fact that Kazakhstan is the Central Asian region’s largest and strongest county and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, which increases its geopolitical significance. In addition, Kazakhstan has previously signed a strategic partnership agreement with Hungary and possesses a globally significant level of energy resources, he added.

Opportunities for cooperation on energy between the two countries are outstanding, Mr. Szijjártó said, explaining that the diversification of energy supply is an important goal in Central Europe, and the main issue is for fuels from Central Asia to successfully reach the southern gas corridor. MOL is involved in significant activities in Kazakhstan, and is currently working on exploring a major fuel deposit, he added.

Mr. Szijjártó said that an agreement had also been reached on nuclear industry cooperation, in addition to which water industry cooperation was also an important subject of discussion in view of the fact that Central Asia has major water stocks, which represent an excellent opportunity for Hungarian water industry enterprises. Furthermore, agriculture is also an important field of cooperation with relation to bilateral relations, he added.
Based on the latest figures, bilateral trade flow tripled last year, while Hungarian exports increased by 25 percent, the Minister told reporters.

With relation to security issues, Mr. Szijjártó said Afghanistan represents a major security challenge to the region and the world, and it is in the interests of Europe and Hungary for migrants and terrorists from the country that serves as the hiding place for terrorists and is home to radical views not to set out towards Europe. For this reason Hungary is recommending that the EU increase spending on border protection cooperation with the countries of Central Asia during its next budgetary period, he said.

The Minister also noted that the number of Kazakh students receiving scholarships to study at Hungarian universities will be increasing from 200 to 250 in view of high interest.

Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov stressed that his country regards Hungary as a strategic partner and an important ally.

Relations between the two countries have gained significant strength in recent years, he said, adding that cooperation between both governments and parliaments is excellent.

Among the main areas of cooperation, Mr. Abdrakhmanov mentioned energy, agriculture, logistics and tourism, but added that there are many more opportunities for cooperation.

Prior to the press conference, the two foreign ministers signed the working plan for cooperation in 2018-19, and a protocol on the amendment of their previous agreement on mutual visa-free travel for diplomats and citizens with service passports.

(MTI)