Astana, February 17, 2025 – Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtileu held talks with Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Péter Szijjártó, who arrived in Astana on an official visit.
This visit of the Hungarian Minister is his seventh official visit to Kazakhstan, which is a clear demonstration of the strong and long-term relations between the two countries. Ten years ago, P. Szijjártó first visited Astana, and this event became an important milestone in strengthening Kazakh-Hungarian relations.
The parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, reaffirming their commitment to deepening the strategic partnership based on common historical roots and traditional friendship. In particular, priority areas of political, economic, energy, and cultural and humanitarian interaction were considered.
The Foreign Ministers discussed the implementation of the agreements reached as a result of the visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Budapest in November 2024 and the visit of the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán to Astana in November 2023.
During the negotiations, special attention was paid to further expanding trade and economic ties. Last year, the volume of trade turnover increased by 4.4% and reached almost $200 million. The parties agreed to take additional measures to achieve the goal set by the heads of state to increase trade turnover to $1 billion.
The volume of Hungarian direct investments in the Kazakh economy exceeded $370 million. Currently, 16 joint projects worth a total of $700 million are being implemented, including important projects in the energy and industrial sectors. For example, the Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has invested $200 million in the development of the Rozhkovskoye field, a large gas and condensate field in Western Kazakhstan. The Globalia company is building solar power plants in several regions of Kazakhstan, and the UBM holding will begin construction of three compound feed plants worth $62 million this year. The conversation also considered important initiatives aimed at deepening economic cooperation. In particular, the issues of opening branches of Hungarian banks in Kazakhstan, building a multimodal cargo terminal in Budapest, increasing supplies of Kazakh oil to Hungary, as well as exporting uranium and minerals of strategic importance were discussed. An important step in this direction will be the imminent creation of a joint Investment Fund. “Hungary is a fraternal state for us, and we attach great importance to strategic partnership with it. We strive to enrich trade and economic cooperation with concrete and effective results,” said the Kazakh Foreign Minister.
In turn, the Hungarian Minister confirmed that Budapest intends to deepen bilateral relations with Astana not only in the political, but also in the economic, investment and cultural spheres. “We are ready to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan and are confident that this will bring great benefits to both countries,” P. Szijjártó noted.
The interlocutors also drew attention to the importance of cooperation in the field of science and education. Hungary annually provides 250 educational grants to Kazakh students (currently, about 1,000 Kazakh students are studying at Hungarian universities).
In addition, a direct flight between Shymkent and Budapest will be launched from May 2025. This will further strengthen ties between the fraternal peoples and create new opportunities for cooperation in various areas.
During the talks, the parties exchanged views on topical issues of the regional and global agenda, including conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. The heads of the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Hungary expressed hope for the establishment of a peaceful and constructive dialogue between the opposing sides.
M. Nurtleu confirmed Kazakhstan's commitment to the principles of the UN Charter, as well as the country's balanced and pragmatic foreign policy aimed exclusively at peaceful solutions.
The ministers also discussed the prospects for cooperation within the framework of the UN, the OSCE and other multilateral organizations.
The parties, noting Hungary's active participation in the work of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), noted that the upcoming informal TSO summit in Budapest will be an important step in strengthening cooperation between countries connected by a common Turkic heritage.
Following the results of the negotiations, memorandums of understanding were signed on cooperation between diplomatic academies and on teaching the Hungarian language.
About 30 Hungarian companies and 40 joint ventures are successfully operating in Kazakhstan. Since 2005, the volume of direct investments from Hungary into the Kazakh economy has exceeded $370 million.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/939880