At the opening of the Second Budapest Africa Forum, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said that, with its Southward Opening strategy, Hungary has acted in time in the global competition for a leading position in cooperation with Africa.
As Péter Szijjártó underlined, Hungary had decided to follow a new direction in foreign policy, and although there was previously discord and debate on this, today it is clear and reasonable that Hungary is pursuing a pragmatic foreign policy which concentrates on external economic results.
Mr. Szijjártó noted that the Hungarian government has launched the Southward Opening strategy, which concentrates on two main regions: Latin America and the Caribbean; and Africa. The Latin America Forum was held two weeks ago, and now relations with Africa are in focus. This shows that Southward Opening is not merely a communication campaign, but a real strategy, the Minister said.
The Minister explained that a new world order is forming; every country needs to face more challenges. This new world order is leading actors in the financial, political, educational, economic and scientific sectors to make changes.
The Hungarian foreign minister also mentioned that there is fierce competition between regional economic and trade integration. Hungary is an open economy, therefore its economic performance depends to a large extent on export and investment. According to this, opening is an important part of Hungary’s foreign affairs and foreign trade policy. The Minister stated that it can be a huge handicap in competition if a country decides to close itself to the world and become inward-looking.
As Mr. Szijjártó underlined, close and effective cooperation is needed between Europe and Africa in order to tackle the migration crisis, because the current situation is not beneficial for either of them. Over time, this crisis could cause an insoluble situation in Europe and – because of the people leaving – Africa would lose significant resources, and also the chance to develop.
According to statistics, there are at least 12.5 million internal refugees in the Sub-Saharan region, and they are the most likely to decide on moving to Europe. The minister said that we need European-African cooperation which helps African countries to develop rapidly in order to become more attractive to those who are forced to leave their homes.
He added that the situation is becoming more complicated because of climate change, terrorism, poverty, and statements from Europeans which have been misinterpreted to seem like an invitation to those living in difficult conditions to move to Europe.
The Foreign Minister stated that European development resources should be used to implement political and economic reforms which provide better life opportunities for those of more modest means and circumstances, so they will not want to come to Europe.
At the event at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, State Secretary for Higher Education László Palkovics said that the Forum is an excellent opportunity for strengthening relationships between Africa and Hungary, which is also important because Africa has enormous potential and is also the most dynamically developing continent. He said that the goal is to make Hungary a priority partner of Africa by realising the opportunities and building on the traditions of the relationship between Hungary and Africa.
The State Secretary believes that one of the most effective and promising areas for mutually beneficial cooperation – in the long term also – is higher education, and in this area Africa and Hungary share great traditions in building relations. He added that many Africans who later achieved great success in their homeland studied in Hungary.
Mr. Palkovics said that this was the very reason for making education the primary focus of the Forum, and Hungary is ready to provide courses in strategic areas for students from African countries through its Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship programme.
Franck Mwe di Malila Apenela, Deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, emphasised Africa’s importance as an investment destination. He welcomed Hungary’s intensive efforts to build connections with Congo and that the Hungarian government is encouraging Hungarian companies to invest in the country. His country is also encouraging the same, he said.
Vice President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Domonkos Szász stressed that, despite the obstacles, African countries are still developing dynamically. In addition to economic cooperation, educational and scientific cooperation is also extremely important, since education and research are the most solid foundations for a rapidly developing economy.
After the opening speeches, they signed interdepartmental agreements between the Ministries of Education of Hungary and Ethiopia, and Hungary and Kenya, for the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme.
In accordance with Hungary’s Africa policies, which have been formed within the Southward Opening strategy, the Second Budapest Africa Forum is taking place on Monday and Tuesday. Since education is not only a traditional element of Hungary’s foreign relations, but also the key component of Africa’s development, educational cooperation is the main focus of the forum. The delegates from Africa visited the Szent István University of Gödöllő on Tuesday.