Hungary Opens a Diplomatic Mission in Dar es Salaam

With regard to opportunities in bilateral cooperation, Hungary opened a diplomatic mission in Dar es Salaam, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said in Tanzania's largest city and economic hub on Monday.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto in Tanzania (Source: Facebook)

The statement issued by the Hungarian foreign ministry quoted Peter Szijjarto as saying at the opening ceremony that this is in fact more of a reopening, since Hungary had a mission in the city 34 years ago. Time has come to correct the bad decision to close it, as despite a distance of 6,000 kilometers, Tanzania is a key partner for Hungary.

Recognizing the opportunities in bilateral cooperation, Hungary has opened a diplomatic mission in Tanzania’s largest city, said Peter Szijjarto (Source: Facebook)

He highlighted Tanzania's commitment to its sovereignty, its cultural and religious heritage, as well as its fight against terrorism, its participation in peacekeeping efforts and accommodating refugees.

Tanzania is one of the most dynamically developing countries in Africa. Dar es Salaam is East Africa's largest city and Tanzania's economic and financial centre. All this is reason enough to say: now is the time to reopen our diplomatic mission,

he said.

The office’s main task will be to accelerate the development of economic relations, Peter Szijjarto said, noting that a good foundation for this already exists, with bilateral trade turnover having tripled over the past ten years.

Hungarian companies show growing interest in the Tanzanian market. In areas where Hungarian technologies are world-class, including water management, food security, healthcare, and agriculture , we are ready to contribute to Tanzania’s success, 

he stated.

As an example, he mentioned that as a result of the development work of Hungarian companies, a quarter of a million people will soon have access to safe drinking water around Lake Victoria, and Hungary is also involved in the modernization of higher education.

"A growing number of Hungarian companies are interested in entering the market, from security printing to solar park installations," he said. He also noted that the mission will be responsible for promoting Hungary's scholarship program, since more than one hundred Tanzanian students are currently studying in Hungary, but it is time to set new goals.

"We all know that building ambitious and successful cooperation is impossible without personal presence. Personal presence cannot be digitally substituted (…) The reopening of our mission in Dar es Salaam marks the beginning of a new, successful chapter in our bilateral cooperation," he said.

The minister also warned that humanity currently lives in an age of dangers: wars are raging across the world, the terrorist threat remains high, and some are responding to crises by cutting communication channels, severing decades-old ties, or imposing sanctions.

He said that all this points toward a renewed division of the world into blocs, which runs against Hungary’s interests. Instead, the government is committed to cooperation based on mutual respect and benefits — a principle reflected in Hungary's Africa strategy.

In this context, he underlined that Africa is the continent of the future, whose population will grow by 950 million by 2050. This, he stressed, places urgent tasks on the international community.

We must ensure that all the economic, educational, and healthcare conditions are in place to keep this growing population in Africa. This requires a comprehensive, large-scale economic development program to strengthen Africa’s capacities. We Hungarians will take our share in this effort,

he said.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (Source: Facebook)