Yerlan Koshanov, the Chairman of the lower house of the Kazakhstani national legislature Mazhilis visited Budapest, Hungary last weekend, on 6 October. During his visit, he met with President Tamás Sulyok of Hungary, as well as his Hungarian counterpart, House Speaker László Kövér.
‘The development of cooperation with Hungary is one of the priority areas of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, Kazakh-Hungarian cooperation has reached the level of a strategic partnership, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year,’ Mr Koshanov said after his visit, according to The Astana Times.
He and Speaker Kövér signed an agreement of cooperation between the Kazakh Mazhilis and the Hungarian National Assembly. Speaker Kövér has also received an official invitation to come to Kazakhstan on a diplomatic trip.
‘Hungary is Kazakhstan’s reliable friend, a fraternal state and a strategic partner. Therefore, we are interested in strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation. We know that this desire is mutual. Inter-parliamentary friendship groups are effectively working in our legislative bodies. We also closely engage in a multilateral format within the framework of international organizations,’ Mr Koshanov added.
‘Hungary is Kazakhstan’s reliable friend, a fraternal state and a strategic partner. Therefore, we are interested in strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation’
Hungary has been growing closer ties with the former Soviet Central Asian country of Kazakhstan lately. In November 2023, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan in the capital city of Astana, Kazakhstan. In April of the same year, a street in Astana was named after the famous 19th-century Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi. There is also an Astana Way located in District XIV of Budapest, which Mr Koshanov and his delegation have visited on their trip. There, they laid flowers at the monument of Abai Qunanbaiuly, a Kazakh poet and composer also from the 19th century.
The Hungarian government is trying to diversify its oil and natural gas imports, away from the warring Russia, in which Kazakhstan plays a crucial role.
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