On October 16, on the sidelines of the Astana Think Tank Forum 2025, a meeting was held between the leadership of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Danube Institute (Hungary).
From the Hungarian side, the meeting was attended by István Kiss, Executive Director of the Danube Institute; Ibrahim Mammadov, Director of the Initiative for Engagement with Turkic-Western Countries at the Danube Institute; and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to the Republic of Kazakhstan Otto Ivan Rona.
As emphasized by Zhandos Shaimardanov, Director of KazISS under the President of Kazakhstan, the Institute actively collaborates with analytical centers across Europe, including Hungary. Shaimardanov noted that Kazakhstan considers Hungary a key partner in Europe, given the close historical ties between the two countries. He also highlighted the active cooperation between Kazakhstan and Hungary within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
“Partnership within the OTS positively impacts bilateral relations. The informal OTS summit held in May 2025 in Budapest demonstrated the organization’s potential for deepening cooperation with EU member states,” Shaimardanov stressed.
Following the negotiations, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between KazISS and the Danube Institute. According to the Director of KazISS, this agreement with the Hungarian think tank represents an important step in strengthening the “second-track” diplomacy between Kazakhstan and Hungary.
Following the meeting, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Danube Institute.
