During a press conference following his talks with Kyrgystan's Deputy Prime Miniter Bakit Torobayev, Szijjarto emphasized the growing importance of Central Asia in light of global political and economic changes.
We Hungarians didn’t start this cooperation yesterday—it’s been over ten years. So today, we can look back with a smile at those times when we were criticized or looked down upon for collaborating with Central Asia. Those critics are now lining up to visit the region's leaders and are doing everything for a photo op with them,
he said, stressing that Hungary has already benefited significantly from close cooperation with the Organization of Turkic States.
Our economic cooperation with the region, the growth of Hungarian exports, and the inclusion of new sourcing in Hungary’s energy supply all demonstrate that maintaining close ties with the Turkic countries and the nations of Central Asia has been and continues to be worthwhile for Hungary,
he added.
FM Peter Szijjarto highlighted the record-breaking nature of Hungarian–Kyrgyz bilateral economic relations, noting that trade volume set a new record in 2023 and more than doubled in just the first ten months of the previous year. He announced that Hungary would allocate an additional USD 34 million to the joint Hungarian–Kyrgyz development fund, which was initially established with USD 16 million. The fund has already supported the market entry and investments of four Hungarian companies in Kyrgyzstan. This new funding aims to further develop bilateral economic relations by supporting Hungarian companies in agriculture, food processing, and water management.
Hungarian companies will establish processing plants, breeding farms, and hydroelectric power stations, thereby contributing to the development of Kyrgyz agriculture, water management, and food industry, while also fostering the growth of the Hungarian economy,
he elaborated.
The minister also addressed higher education cooperation, noting that Hungary welcomes 200 scholarship students from Kyrgyzstan to its universities each year, with applications consistently exceeding the available slots many times over. In conclusion, Szijjarto reaffirmed Hungary's commitment to supporting cooperation between the European Union and Kyrgyzstan. He highlighted the Hungarian government’s efforts to strengthen this collaboration during its EU Council presidency over the past six months.
We were the first EU member state to submit the Kyrgyzstan–European Union Cooperation and Partnership Agreement to our Parliament for ratification. Additionally, several Hungarian companies are working to become the primary European exporters of Kyrgyz agricultural products,
he remarked.
Cover photo: Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (right), receives Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Bakit Torobayev, also responsible for water management, agriculture and processing industry, in his Budapest office on January 17, 2025.
(Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)
