Direct air link to be established between Budapest and this African state

Three Hungarian companies are preparing to embark on major investment projects in Angola, signalling the benefits of bilateral cooperation for both countries, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said on Friday.

A Hungarian water management company will spend 100 million US dollars on the construction of 13 waterworks sites, securing the drinking water supply for two million people, the foreign ministry cited Szijjarto as saying at a press conference after the meeting of the Hungarian-Angolan economic mixed committee in Budapest. Preparations are also under way for a 140 million dollar local investment by a Hungarian security printing company, the minister said. Also, a Hungarian company will soon begin renovation works on a 100 million dollar Hungarian-made gas turbine in the country, he added.

Meanwhile,

Szijjártó said some 1,000 applications had been submitted for the 50 state scholarships Hungary is offering to Angolan university students for the next academic year.

He said the two countries had also approved an agreement at the meeting that will create a direct air link between Budapest and Luanda, with Budapest set to be a stopover on a Luanda-Moscow flight. Szijjártó underscored the importance of strong economic cooperation between Africa and Europe in order for Africa to remain attractive to its own citizens. Angola, he said, was a role model in this respect, as it had managed to preserve its security and develop its economy, and was therefore not a migrant sending country.