President Novák Visits School and Hospital in Rwanda

Hungary is the gateway to the European Union, Rwanda is the gateway to the African continent, said Hungarian President Katalin Novák on Sunday after talks with Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda. The Hungarian President has visited a school and a hospital in Rwanda, and also delivered aid.

This is the first time that a Hungarian President has visited Rwanda, and this could be a milestone in bilateral relations, highlighted Katalin Novák. The Head of State said that Rwanda and Hungary could also set a good example of how to cooperate on the basis of mutual respect, and welcomed the fact that the meeting had resulted in President Kagame’s announcement that Rwanda would open a diplomatic mission in Hungary.

The two countries signed agreements on the extension of the Stipendium Hungaricum Program, on nuclear education in Hungary and Rwanda, and a financing agreement for a $52 million water sector project under an emergency loan program.

On the scholarships, Katalin Novák said that there is a great demand for high quality training and thanks to the current agreement, scholarships will be offered to 60 selected Rwandan students over the next three years.

Katalin Novák also mentioned the Hungary Helps Program, pointing out that

Hungary contributes to humanitarian programs around the world, and since 2017 we have already provided 300 humanitarian aid projects in 54 countries, worth more than 100 million US dollars.

She stressed that Hungary wants to contribute to development by asking what is needed. She spoke about the migration crisis plaguing Europe, which she said can be stopped by providing assistance on the ground, including through the Hungary Helps program.

On Sunday, Katalin Novák laid a wreath at the memorial site of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and met with the Archbishop of Kigali, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda.

The Hungarian President began her official visit to Rwanda on Friday, when she visited a hospital and a school and handed over donations. On Friday, Katalin Novák laid a wreath at the memorial plaque of Hungarian ecologist and rhinoceros conservationist Krisztián Gyöngyi who lost his life in 2017 after a rhinoceros attack. The President also visited the neonatal ward of the hospital in Rwamagana, where she handed over two incubators in cooperation with the Hungarian Interchurch Aid.

On Saturday, she attended a European history lesson at the Nyanza Secondary School and visited and tested the hand-washing station set up by the Hungary Helps project.

Tristan Azbej, the State Secretary responsible for helping persecuted Christians and implementing the Hungary Helps Program, said that Katalin Novák and her delegation will also hand over several material donations, including sports equipment and flashlights. The latter is important because many families have no electricity in their homes. The President’s donation, the most appreciated by the locals, was two cows, which will help to provide children with healthy milk, he added.

Tristan Azbej also said that the sub-Saharan region of the African continent is becoming increasingly important for the Hungary Helps Program. He stressed the importance of supporting education and vocational training, so that the rising generations can help to shape their future here on the ground.

In this context, the State Secretary has recently visited Niger and Chad. In Niger, a humanitarian donation was made to a school of the Catholic Church on behalf of the Hungary Helps Program. Furthermore, consular presence in the region has also been strengthened, and Hungary and Niger has signed a defense cooperation agreement. In Chad, Hungary is providing 100,000 euros in aid since more than 200,000 refugees are residing in the country who have fled the conflict in Sudan.

Via MTI, Featured photos via MTI/Balogh Zoltán