Hungarian House Speaker László Kövér held bilateral talks on the second day of his visit to Kenya, where he met with Moses Masika Wetangula, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, and Amason Kingi Jeffah, the Speaker of the Senate. Kövér is the first house speaker to visit Kenya since the 1989–90 democratic transition, as reported by MTI on Monday.

Kövér: Hungary Appreciates Kenya’s Management of Regional Migration Processes

According to Zoltán Szilágyi, the spokesperson for the Hungarian National Assembly, László Kövér said that Hungary views ‘the Republic of Kenya as a leading economic and political factor in East Africa.’  The Speaker expressed his recognition for the progress that Kenya has made over the past decades and for the stabilising role that the country plays in the East African region. Kövér also expressed great appreciation for Kenya’s important contribution to the fight against terrorism, the establishment of regional security, and the management of regional migration processes.

Re-Establishing Hungary’s Role in Sub-Saharan Africa

Kövér said he hoped that his current visit, following the discussions started in 2019 in Budapest with Justin Muturi, the previous Speaker of the National Assembly, would contribute to strengthening the relationship between the two countries, the two peoples, and the two parliaments, and to re-establishing Hungary’s active role in sub-Saharan Africa, building mutually beneficial partnerships with the countries in the region. Keeping Kenya’s mediating and stabilising role in mind, Hungary supports closer cooperation between the European Union and Kenya, particularly the conclusion of the The EU-Pacific (Interim) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and its swift implementation.

‘We believe that these partnerships will promote the creation of a predictable economic environment and greatly encourage mutually beneficial trade, investment, and political cooperation,’ the statement released by Szilágyi said.

Setting Up Parliamentary Friendship Groups

Regarding parliamentary cooperation, the parties expressed their intention to establish parliamentary friendship groups as soon as possible and to establish contacts between offices to share experience. Kövér emphasised the importance of expanding commercial and economic relations as part of the deepening of cooperation. Accordingly, it has been proposed that committees responsible for economic affairs should consult online to discuss specific cooperation opportunities.

Cooperation in Addressing Terrorism

In addition to developing bilateral relations, Kövér highlighted the importance of cooperation in addressing global challenges that ‘affect us all and threaten our common interests’, such as terrorism, climate change, migration, or war conflicts.

Kenya Grateful for Hungarian University Scholarships

According to the statement, Moses Masika Wetangula and Kingi Jeffah also thanked the Hungarian government for its generous offer to provide scholarships to 200 Kenyan university students each year, which is exceptionally high compared to all other countries in the European Union, generating extraordinary interest.