The foreign minister said cooperation between Hungary and Kazakhstan is a good example of the success of Hungary’s eastern opening policy.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said, after meeting his Kazakh counterpart, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, in Nur-Sultan, that the two countries were striving to improve their ties, rather than “lecturing each other and interfering with each other’s internal affairs”.
International cooperation has never been as important as during the coronavirus pandemic, Minister Szijjártó said, noting that Hungarian exports to Kazakhstan grew by 58 percent last year, and reached 165 million dollars. In the same period, world trade contracted by 9 percent, he said.
Minister Szijjártó said the Hungarian Eximbank has opened a 170 million dollar credit line to help finance cooperation between Hungarian and Kazakh companies. It is also opening a branch in Nur-Sultan, he added.
Among Hungarian successes in Kazakhstan, Minister Szijjártó noted that pharma company Richter is now selling 98 medicines in the country. A Hungarian company is also building the cooling unit of a power plant in the country, in an investment coming to 4 million dollars, he said. Hungary continuously exports beef to Kazakhstan, and is about to start exporting corn, he added. Hungarian professionals are also involved in developing the Kazakh stock exchange, he said.
Hungary also plans to join the Eurasian Development Bank, to expand financing options for Hungarian companies in the region, he said. Discount airline Wizz Air is going to restart its flights from Budapest to Nur-Sultan in June, he noted.
Photo: Facebook - Szijjártó Péter