Hungary would like to modernise Kenyan farming

African stability is key to European security, and Kenyan support is vital in terms of combatting terrorism and hosting refugees, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said in Nairobi on Wednesday, adding that Hungary is making large contributions towards these efforts.

Hungary and Kenya this year are celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Szijjártó said at a joint news conference held with Kenyan counterpart Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi.

He said ties were based on mutual respect and were especially valued in the current era of wars and the mounting threat of terrorism, the ministry quoted Szijjártó as saying.

Hungary, he said, provides aid to Kenya, adding that the more stable and developed the country is the better the security situation. Hungary is launching a 6 billion forint (EUR 15.2m) lending scheme under which Hungarian companies are establishing two centres for the purpose of upgrading irrigation systems and fisheries in the country with the aim of improving the security of food supplies.

Also, Hungary is providing 200 million forints for setting up an agricultural education and research hub for modernising Kenyan farming using Hungarian seed technology.

Fairer, more balanced international political system

Meanwhile, the minister welcomed Kenya’s decision to build a nuclear power plant, saying the project would help to cut harmful emissions. The sides have signed a cooperation pact on nuclear education and training, with Hungary helping to train Kenyan specialists and sharing experiences in regulation.

Referring to Hungary’s EU presidency in the second half of the year, Szijjártó expressed recognition of Kenya’s call for a “fairer, more balanced international political system”, saying that Hungary supported this aim since politics was now geared towards “lecturing and criticising each other instead of cooperating”.

Noting that the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement was signed last year, he said Hungary would do its utmost to make sure it came into force during the six months of its EU presidency.