Director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerkin Tukumov met with Deputy Secretary of State of the Ministry of External Relations and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Adam Stifter today. The meeting was also attended by Ambassador of Hungary to Kazakhstan Otto Ivan Rona and the referent of the Department of Russia and Central Asia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary Leona Levay.
Starting his speech, Director of KazISS noted that Kazakhstan and Hungary are long-term partners seeking to strengthen cooperation in various fields. Noting the importance of Central Asian Security and Cooperation Forum, Director said that the main purpose of the forum is to hold an intellectual discussion and generate new breakthrough ideas and projects in Central Asia.
“Hungary was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Kazakhstan, and one of the first Eastern European states to sign a strategic partnership agreement. Kazakhstan considers Hungary as an important trading partner among the countries of the European Union. We have a huge potential for expanding cooperation in such areas as agriculture, energy, IT sector, ecology and the humanitarian sphere,” – Tukumov said.
To date, the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies has a long history of interaction with analytical centers in Hungary, such as the Center for Central Asian Studies at Corvinus University. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the institutions in 2018, which opened the way to closer cooperation.
The parties agreed that the development of the Kazakh-Hungarian partnership requires not only growth, but also deepening of the quality of cooperation.
