Hungary is the European Union, and Rwanda is the gateway to the African continent, said President Katalin Novák on Sunday after holding talks with President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda.
She emphasised that this is the first occasion for a Hungarian President to visit Rwanda, and is therefore a milestone in bilateral relations. The President stated that Rwanda and Hungary can set a good example of countries cooperating on the basis of mutual respect. She welcomed President Kagame’s announcement during the meeting that
Rwanda will open a diplomatic representation in Hungary.
Novák stated that the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of peace, and the three documents signed can also contribute to the future cooperation between the two states. The parties signed agreements on the extension of the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme, Hungarian-Rwandan nuclear education, and a financing agreement for a water industry project to be implemented through the Hungarian aid credit programme, in the value of 52 million dollars.
Regarding the scholarships, Novák remarked that there is a great demand for high-quality education, and Hungary will now be able to offer scholarships to 60 selected Rwandan students over the next three years. She recalled her visit to Nyanza School, where she personally saw how scholarships can impact students’ daily lives.
The President was deeply impressed by the warm welcome she received in Rwanda, highlighting in a post on social media that the schoolchildren she visited even learnt a Hungarian folk song to greet her with.
In her remarks at the school, she also highlighted the Hungary Helps programme, stating that Hungary contributes to humanitarian relief worldwide. The President reminded that
since 2017, the Hungarian government has provided humanitarian aid in 54 countries, in the total value of over 100 million US dollars.
Katalin Novák took the opportunity to highlight the Hungarian government’s philosophy behind its foreign and migration policies. She emphasised that Hungary wishes to contribute to development in the world by first finding out what is needed. With the right help provided where there is a need, mass migration that adversely affects can be stopped. That is the purpose of the Hungary Helps programme, she stressed.
The President underscored that albeit economic cooperation between Hungary and Rwanda is today stronger than before, there is still room for growth. She expressed hope that economic cooperation will also contribute to the friendship between the two countries.
President Novák expressed her gratitude for having been invited to the Women Deliver 2023 conference, and invited President Paul Kagame to the demography summit to be held in Budapest in September.
On Sunday, 16 July she laid a wreath at the memorial site of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and then met with Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, the Archbishop of Kigali.
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Source: MTI
