Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Hungarian President Katalin Novák both received Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov at the beginning of the week. Among the discussed topics were economic cooperation, the war in Ukraine and the relationship between the European Union, Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.
The meeting between Viktor Orbán and Sadyr Japarov was attended by several ministers of the Hungarian government. It was said that the good political relations between Hungary and Kyrgyzstan are leading to increasingly strong economic and trade links.
Orbán stressed that decision-makers in Brussels should take a much less bureaucratic approach to developing EU relations with Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia as a whole, because the region is of strategic importance for the security and economy of Europe and the world.
The war in Ukraine was also a key issue in the talks between the Hungarian and Kyrgyz leaders, who agreed on the need for a peaceful solution and on the serious difficulties that sanctions are causing for the countries of Europe and Asia.
A day earlier on Monday, Japarov met with Hungarian President Katalin Novák at the Sándor Palace. After the meeting, Novák said that Hungary is a committed member of the Euro-Atlantic alliance, but it is also important to establish friendly relations with the countries of the East, including Central Asia.
Hungary welcomes the rapprochement between the European Union and Kyrgyzstan, and the next step is to sign the agreement on enhanced cooperation and partnership as soon as possible, she said. The Hungarian President added that Kyrgyzstan has been waiting for three years to sign this agreement, and Hungary is doing its utmost to speed up the process.
Novák stressed that
they have signed a strategic agreement that expresses a common commitment to fight terrorism effectively and they would like to strengthen relations between the two countries in as many areas as possible.
Joint action to tackle the growing threat of illegal migration is also a priority. Hungary and Kyrgyzstan also want to strengthen relations between them in most areas, such as tourism, agriculture, water, and education. There is also a joint development fund designed to promote economic cooperation.
I welcomed the President of the Kyrgyz Republic @SadyrJaparov in Budapest and today together we renewed our strategic partnership, because in these challenging times Central Europe needs Central Asia. is counting on . pic.twitter.com/ykl7C0exP1
— Katalin Novák (@KatalinNovakMP) February 13, 2023
After the meeting, the Kyrgyz President said that the aim is to take relations between the two countries to a higher level, and several steps have been taken in recent years to achieve this. According to Japarov, one of most important goals now is to establish direct air links between the two countries as soon as possible.
Meetings between the Kyrgyz and Hungarian sides were not only at the highest level. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó also met his Kyrgyz counterpart Zheenbek Kulubaev on Monday. The discussion between them covered the Ukrainian war, bilateral relations, trade, and higher education.
Featured photo via MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher