Kazakh, Hungarian PM discuss the future of bilateral cooperation
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov and his Hungarian counterpart Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed a wide range of issues related to the countries’ cooperation in various fields, Kazinform News Agency cites the prime minister’s press service.
The sides touched upon energy cooperation, in particular, development of renewable energy sources, prospect of implementation of new investment projects as well as restoring direct air communication between the two countries.
Utmost attention was paid to enhancing connectivity of the Trans-Caspian international transport route with the Trans-European transport network.
During the talks in Astana, Alikhan Smailov stressed Hungary is an important trade and economic partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union. The bilateral trade turnover increased by 24% to $172 million last year. The Kazakh premier suggested expanding the list of commodities Kazakhstan exports to Hungary.
According to Alikhan Smailov, investment cooperation between Astana and Budapest looks quite promising. Since 2005 Hungary has invested some $300 million direct investment into Kazakhstan's economy. This figure amounted to $75 million in 2021-2022 alone.
The Kazakh Prime Minister also commended the high level of bilateral cultural and humanitarian cooperation. For instance, a street in the Kazakh capital will be named after Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi on the occasion of his 200th anniversary. He also revealed that over 1,000 students pursue their degrees at Hungarians universities.
For his part, Viktor Orbán emphasized that given the well-balanced political contacts between Kazakhstan and Hungary, it is high time to pay more attention to deepening and expanding of economic ties.
