Head of State visit to Kazakhstan

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Tamás Sulyok in Astana at the Presidential Palace with military honours.

The two Heads of State first held a private meeting, followed by a plenary session, where economic, cultural and scientific cooperation between the two nations was also on the agenda.

After the talks, the Kazakh president said that Hungarian-Kazakh relations should be strengthened even further.

"We are currently working together on twenty joint projects, as our cooperation is of a strategic nature: this includes energy, nuclear energy and agriculture, and we have also identified new areas of cooperation in the fields of logistics and transport," said the Kazakh president.

As a member of the European Union and, in particular, as a Central European country, we greatly value the strategic importance of our relations with Kazakhstan - Tamás Sulyok pointed out.

The Hungarian Head of State stressed that the two countries are well positioned to become the logistical and commercial hubs of their continents, connecting Europe and Asia.

"In the current challenging period, the importance of East-West cooperation, trade, diversification of energy sources and the development of international transport routes is increasing. Kazakhstan plays a key role in these areas in the Central Asian region," Tamás Sulyok emphasised.

In recognition of the high level of Hungarian-Kazakh relations, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev bestowed Kazakhstan’s highest state decoration, the Order of Friendship of Kazakhstan, First Class, on Tamás Sulyok.

The President of Hungary also attended one of Central Asia's largest digital forums, where the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence were presented.

"Hungary has outstanding potential in the field of innovation. We have always strived to be at the forefront of development. Several talented Hungarians have achieved great success in the field of science," said Tamás Sulyok, who highlighted at the event that Hungary has had an artificial intelligence coalition for many years, which encourages cooperation between state, market and academic players.

The Head of State added that Kazakh-Hungarian cooperation could serve as a stable bridge between Central Asia and Central Europe.