Astana and Budapest note positive dynamics of bilateral ties, especially in economy

ASTANA. May 21 (Interfax) - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed the progress made in implementing earlier reached economic agreements and exchanged views on international issues during their talks in Budapest, the Kazakh leader's press service said.

"The sides discussed the implementation of agreements reached during last year's top-level negotiations, including joint projects in energy, trade, and investment. They also exchanged views on key international issues," the press service said in a statement.

Hungary has invested more than $370 million in the Kazakh economy to date, it said. The joint investment portfolio currently includes projects worth around $700 million in sectors such as machine building, agriculture and logistics.

Orban, for his part, thanked Tokayev for the visit, noting the stable positive dynamics of Kazakh-Hungarian relations.

"He underscored that bilateral cooperation has been developing quite rapidly in recent years, especially in the economy, and expressed his gratitude [to Kazakhstan] for its all-round support in organizing and holding the summit of the [Organization of Turkic States] OTS," the statement said.

Tokayev arrived in Hungary on Tuesday to attend an informal OTS summit. He held talks with Orban in the evening.