Hungary - The Times Of Central Asia

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Hungary

Tokayev Congratulates Péter Magyar on Victory in Hungary’s Parliamentary Elections

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has sent a congratulatory telegram to Péter Magyar, leader of the TISZA party, following his victory in Hungary’s parliamentary elections. According to the presidential press service, Tokayev noted that the election results reflect a high level of public trust in the TISZA party and its program and expressed confidence in Hungary’s continued sustainable development. Tokayev emphasised that Astana attaches great importance to strengthening its strategic partnership with Budapest, reaffirming readiness to expand bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both countries. He also wished Magyar success in his new role, along with prosperity and well-being for the Hungarian people. So far, there have been no reports of congratulatory messages from other Central Asian leaders addressed to Hungary’s new leadership. Hungary’s political transition following the defeat of Viktor Orbán’s party and his resignation has drawn attention not only in the European Union and the U.S., but also in Central Asia, where Budapest has actively developed economic and energy cooperation in recent years. During Orbán’s tenure, Hungary expanded engagement with Central Asian states, seeking to diversify energy supply sources and reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas. In this context, resource-rich Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan emerged as key partners. One key question now is whether the country’s new leadership will maintain this course, including cooperation in energy, investment, and trade. Experts note that the durability of these ties will depend on the foreign policy priorities of Magyar’s government and its approach to relations with the European Union and partners beyond it.

Hungary

Hungary’s Political Shift Puts Central Asia Partnerships Under Scrutiny

Hungary’s political transition following the defeat of Viktor Orbán’s party and his resignation as prime minister is drawing attention not only in the EU and the United States, but also in Central Asia, where Budapest has built growing energy and investment ties. The key question is whether the policy of cooperation with Central Asia developed under Orbán will continue under the new leadership. In recent years, under Orbán, Budapest has actively developed its Central Asian foreign policy, primarily driven by the desire to find alternatives to Russian energy supplies. That push reflects Hungary’s long-standing reliance on Russian oil and gas, which has shaped its search for alternative suppliers beyond Europe. Resource-rich Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan became natural partners for diplomatic engagement. Orbán succeeded in building trust-based relationships with the presidents of the Central Asian republics, grounded in what Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, described as “sincere friendship” in an interview with Uzbek media. “In Hungary, we have always viewed Central Asia as one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with enormous potential. Our efforts to build these relations did not begin today, but decades ago,” he said. Hungary became the first Central European country to sign a strategic partnership with Kazakhstan in 2014. Currently, the Kazakhstan-Hungary Business Council is in operation, along with a joint agricultural direct investment fund. In 2024, bilateral trade approached $200 million, and from January to August 2025, it grew by another 22.1%, exceeding $164.6 million. Hungarian investments in Kazakhstan’s economy have surpassed $370 million, while the current investment portfolio includes 16 projects worth about $700 million in engineering, agriculture, and logistics. These links also intersect with wider efforts to expand east–west transport routes through the Caspian region, offering Hungary indirect access to Central Asian energy and trade flows. In May 2025, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held talks with Orbán in Budapest, where both sides highlighted rising trade volumes and a joint investment portfolio of about $500 million. Hungary’s OTP Bank entered into Uzbekistan’s financial market in 2023, acquiring a 73.71% stake in Ipoteka Bank, becoming its principal owner and the majority shareholder of the country’s fifth-largest bank. As early as 2019, Hungary had intensified cooperation with Turkmenistan. After talks at the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, Szijjártó told the media that Hungary views Turkmenistan as an important country from the perspective of European security. “We very much hope that Turkmenistan’s gas resources will be integrated into the overall energy flow of Central Europe,” he said. However, uncertainty remains over whether this policy direction will continue under Orbán’s successor, Péter Magyar. Oil and gas analyst Oleg Chervinsky has suggested that political changes in Hungary could affect cooperation with Kazakhstan’s national company KazMunayGas (KMG). Chervinsky notes that, having secured a constitutional majority in parliament, Magyar has a mandate to “implement reforms in both foreign and domestic policy [which could] reshape the constitutional structure of the right-wing populist authoritarian system built around Orbán.” The analyst points to Hungary’s oil and gas company MOL Group, which in recent...

Hungary

Central Asia Holds Back on Hungary Election as Orbán Era Ends

Central Asian governments have still yet to issue public statements on Hungary’s election, which brought an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16-year tenure. Hungary’s National Election Office published official updates after the April 12 vote, with Orbán conceding defeat after preliminary results indicated a landslide victory for Péter Magyar’s Tisza party. European leaders responded quickly, but no comparable messages have appeared on the main official channels in Astana, Tashkent, Bishkek, Dushanbe, or Ashgabat. The absence is not a breach of diplomatic protocol. Governments often wait for formal certification or initial contacts before issuing congratulations after parliamentary elections. Yet Hungary occupies a distinct place in Central Asia’s external relations. It is an observer in the Organization of Turkic States, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the informal OTS summit in Budapest, where Viktor Orbán hosted regional leaders and promoted closer ties. Hungary has presented itself as a bridge between Central Asia and the European Union, with regular high-level exchanges and expanding economic links. Recent precedent underscores the contrast. Following Hungary’s 2022 election, Kazakhstan’s Akorda said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent Viktor Orbán a congratulatory telegram on April 4, the day after the vote, and Uzbekistan reported that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev phoned Orbán on April 14, 2022 to offer his congratulations. No similar outreach has been made public so far in 2026. The delay reflects a period of adjustment rather than a clear shift. Orbán’s government had cultivated close personal and political ties with Central Asian leaders, and Budapest played an active role in advancing cooperation through the Turkic framework. A new Hungarian administration may recalibrate those priorities as it seeks to strengthen relations within the EU, creating uncertainty for partners that had relied on Hungary as a consistent advocate in Europe. For now, the silence signals caution. Central Asian governments appear to be waiting for the formal transition in Budapest and for early indications of the new government’s foreign policy. If statements follow in the coming days, the current pause will look procedural. If it continues, it will carry more weight as a sign of recalibration in a relationship that had been unusually close.

Gas import

Hungary Eyes Turkmen Gas to Diversify Energy Imports

Hungary, one of Gazprom’s largest remaining clients within the European Union, is exploring the prospect of importing natural gas from Turkmenistan, The Moscow Times reported. During a recent visit to Ashgabat, Hungary’s Deputy State Secretary for Eastern Relations Development, Ádám Stifter, described Turkmenistan as a promising partner in the energy sector. “Hungary depends on gas imports from different countries, and we view Turkmenistan with great hope. We expect Turkmenistan to become a supplier of gas to Europe, and particularly to Hungary, in the near future,” Stifter said, as quoted by Interfax. The announcement aligns with Budapest’s broader efforts to diversify its energy supply. On Thursday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed that Hungary had signed its longest-ever liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreement, a 10-year deal with French company Engie. Starting in 2028, the contract will provide Hungary with 4 billion cubic meters of LNG, with deliveries continuing through 2038. Earlier in September, Hungary also signed a contract with Shell to purchase 2 billion cubic meters of gas annually for ten years, beginning in 2026. That gas will be delivered via the Czech Republic and Germany. Analysts view Hungary’s interest in Turkmen gas as a notable policy shift. Natalia Milchakova, a senior analyst at Freedom Finance Global, said the move signals a desire to reduce dependence on Russian energy. “Hungary and Slovakia have long relied on Russian oil and gas, but the change in tone from Budapest suggests a drive to diversify supply routes,” she noted. However, the logistics remain complex. Milchakova pointed out that Turkmen gas would likely have to transit through Azerbaijan or Iran, routes complicated by infrastructure limitations and geopolitical challenges, or possibly via the TurkStream pipeline, which is operated in partnership with Gazprom. Hungary currently imports about 4.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually under a long-term contract valid until 2036. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in Finland, Hungary spent approximately €500 million on energy imports from Russia in July 2025 alone, €285 million on gas and €200 million on oil. Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth-largest proven natural gas reserves. However, 80-90% of its gas exports are sent eastward to China via the Central Asia-China pipeline, highlighting the country's long-standing reliance on a single buyer. Strengthening ties with Hungary could signal Ashgabat’s intent to diversify its export geography.

Oil

Kazakhstan Begins Oil Exports to Hungary

Kazakhstan has shipped its first batch of crude oil to Hungary, marking a significant step in the deepening energy partnership between KazMunayGas (KMG), the country’s national oil and gas company, and Hungary’s MOL Group. According to KMG, 85,000 tons of crude were transported by sea from the Russian port of Novorossiysk to the Croatian port of Omisalj aboard the Alatau tanker, operated by Kazmortransflot, a KMG subsidiary. From there, the oil was transported via the Adriatic pipeline, operated by JANAF, Croatia’s state oil pipeline operator, to the Százhalombatta refinery in Hungary. Upon the tanker's arrival in Croatia, representatives of KMG, MOL Group, and JANAF convened to discuss further cooperation. Following the meeting, KMG and MOL Group signed a framework agreement outlining future oil supply arrangements. The deal broadens the scope of Kazakhstan’s oil exports to the European Union. Kazakhstan already supplies crude to Germany via the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline, which runs through Russian territory. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Hungary reached a preliminary agreement earlier this year to supply Kazakh oil to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline as well. The agreement was concluded in February during a meeting in Astana between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy, Almasadam Satkaliyev, and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó. The two sides agreed to conduct trial shipments in 2025. MOL Group has been active in Kazakhstan for over two decades and has invested $200 million in the development of the Rozhkovskoye gas condensate field in western Kazakhstan.

Economic Cooperation

Kazakhstan Looks to Reduce Dependence on Feed Imports

On March 12, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Serik Zhumangarin, met with executives from Hungary’s UBM Group, which plans to build three plants in Kazakhstan to produce 48,000 tons of premixes and 300,000 tons of compound feed annually. The project also includes the establishment of a laboratory and a training center. According to the Kazakh government’s press service, the project aims to reduce Kazakhstan’s reliance on imported compound animal feed, which currently exceeds 250,000 tons per year. Zhumangarin emphasized that ensuring local livestock farmers have access to high-quality, domestically produced feed is a strategic priority for lowering meat production costs. He also reiterated Kazakhstan’s broader goal of meeting at least 90% of domestic food demand with locally produced goods, particularly essential food products. The UBM Group project will involve the construction of facilities in the Kostanay and Karaganda regions, as well as in Almaty. In the Karaganda region, a business partner and construction site have already been selected. In Kostanay and Almaty, local partners have been identified, but final decisions on construction sites are still pending. To expedite the process, Zhumangarin instructed local administrations and the Ministry of Agriculture to allocate land plots by the end of March, allowing the investor to begin earthworks in the second quarter of this year. The entire construction project is expected to be completed within two years.