Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is on 24 April in the capital of Kazakhstan on an official visit, said that Hungary sees for itself new prospects in the rapidly developing countries of Central Asia. New Europe reports in its article Hungary sees new opportunities in Central Asia that the head of the Hungarian government at a briefing in Akorda after talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that in recent years the situation in the world has changed dramatically, in particular, “both Asia and the East are constantly getting stronger.”
“We in the West are puzzled over how we can keep up with this development. Hungary is adapting to this new situation by strengthening its contacts with countries in the East, including Central Asian countries. It is easy for us. We see for ourselves not danger, but new opportunities. And we are trying to take advantage of these opportunities by establishing more and more intensive contacts,” Orban said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister said Hungarians consider the peoples of Central Asia as relatives. “Our historical roots are related to the peoples living in Central Asia. We consider them to be our relatives, and therefore diplomacy and economic contacts have their cultural background. Hungary is a country that is the easternmost country in Europe,” Orban said.
According to official data from the Kazakh side, Kazakhstan is the fourth largest trading partner of Hungary among the Commonwealth of Independent (CIS) countries after Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. At the end of 2018, trade amounted to $ 139,2 million, which is 11% lower than the 2017 figure.
According to him, over 100 Hungarian businessmen will fly to Nur-Sultan on April 29-30 to participate in the meeting of the Kazakh-Hungarian Strategic Council.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also expressed his opinion on the upcoming presidential elections in Kazakhstan, arguing that the true meaning of the Greek word democracy “means not only that people can take part in elections and be involved in discussing common issues. Democracy, according to the old Greek perception, also means a form of governance (management).”
Orban opined that participation and freedom of opinion must be translated into effective governance of the country. “That is why the most successful countries of the world are at the same time those countries where the most stable political system. And Kazakhstan took the leading place in the field of stability. I said this to the President and I wish Kazakhstan great success in the future, including in the elections,” Orban argued.
