Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that supporting Africa is key to improving the quality of life in countries at the root of illegal migration to Europe, and so to stopping rather than managing illegal migration.
Speaking in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, the foreign minister said a Hungarian-Ethiopian agreement in the works on economic cooperation and the elimination of double taxation is part of that effort. The root causes of migration have become stronger in recent years, mirrored in the growing migration pressure in Europe which the European Union’s measures have failed to address, Minister Szijjártó said. Since EU policies “inspire one migration wave after the other, cooperation has become a priority with African countries willing and able to keep young citizens home, who are also of key importance for the future of their homeland,” he said. Cooperation between Hungary and Ethiopia aims to help the latter country in retaining its citizens, he said. Hungary will double the number of university scholarships for Ethiopian students next year, to 100, he said. Hungarian companies are also playing an important role in the development of Ethiopian agriculture, and in digitalization, he said.