PM Orbán: Hungary, DRC to launch comprehensive cooperation programme

Hungary and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have decided to launch a comprehensive cooperation programme, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday, after talks with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi. Photo: MTI

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday that Hungary and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have decided to launch a comprehensive cooperation programme after talks with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi.

Orbán called Tshisekedi’s visit “historic”, as it was the first of a DRC president to Hungary.”Africa’s significance can’t be overstated, as it will play a huge role in the future of the whole world,” Orbán said. The continent’s population is expected to grow by “hundreds of millions” in the next 20 years, he said. “Providing education, jobs and health-care for so many people is an unprecedented challenge for Africa,” he said.The DRC has a determining role in Africa, “a large country facing historic challenges”, he said.

Hungary has proposed a comprehensive strategy for Africa’s development several times in the EU, “but will not wait for decisions from Brussels but start our own part in that programme,” Orbán said.

Orbán and Tshisekedi agreed that the programme should have three pillars, in economy, infrastructure development and education, Orbán said.

The flagship investment of the programme’s economic leg would be a 600 million dollar road and bridge construction investment, led and co-financed by Hungary, he said. The project would link the DRC with Zambia, he added.

Meanwhile, Orbán said Hungary has one of the largest battery production capacities in the world — it is the fourth largest manufacturer this year, expecting to rise to first place in 2025. The DRC is the supplier of many of the raw materials for batteries, especially cobalt, “so a trilateral cooperation is also possible there,” he said.

Photo: MTI

Agreements on the modernisation of agriculture and on water management are also in the pipeline, Orbán said. In the former, “Hungary could have a role in seed production and milk and food production,” he said.

The Hungary Helps Agency has conducted 12 development and humanitarian projects in the DRC, and government grants have been offered for students from the DRC, he said.

The DRC is also important as stabilising force in the region, he said.

“Hungary appreciates that, and is cooperating with the DRC in international organisations, and supports the country’s nomination into the UN Security Council,” he said.

Tshisekedi said that he and Orbán were “determined and dedicated to cement exchange relations and cooperation with Hungary”, adding that bilateral relations still had much potential for growth.

During their extensive talks, Tshisekedi said they examined the areas that could act as “axes” for cooperation. He said he had brought to Hungary ministers of sectors that were key for partnership between the two countries.

Tshisekedi said it was a “day of historic importance” considering that he was the first president from Congo to visit Hungary. He added that the timing of the visit was also important, as Hungary currently fulfils the rotating presidency of the European Union.