Uhuru treats visiting Hungarian president to State dinner

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday evening hosted a State Dinner for the visiting Hungarian President János Áder and his spouse Anita Herczegh.

At the party that was attended by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Uhuru hailed the strong bilateral ties between Kenya and Hungary saying the relationship is driven largely by economic cooperation, trade and investments.

“Kenya looks forward to the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the East African Community and the European Union to open up greater trading and economic opportunities,” President Kenyatta said.

On multilateralism, President Kenyatta said Kenya and Hungary share common positions on key global issues including climate change, and thanked the European nation for the support that led to Kenya's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

“Mitigating climate change is an imperative of our times and my Government’s commitment to this noble cause extends to the United Nations Security Council where climate and security is an important focus during our term.

“We look forward to continue working closely with the Government of Hungary, within the UN system and other multilateral forums, to champion the climate change agenda and other shared global priorities,” he said.

Once again, Uhuru reiterated Kenya's commitment to multilateralism saying the country fully supports the United Nations system.

“As a strong advocate for multilateralism and a rule-based international order, and home to the only UN headquarters in the global south, Kenya, like Hungary, is fully committed to supporting the work of the United Nations, and it is our desire to maintain Nairobi’s position as the central hub of the United Nations system in the developing world,” President Kenyatta said.

On regional peace and security, President Kenyatta said Kenya will continue to utilize her experience as a peace mediator to champion for sustainable stability on the continent particularly in the Horn of Africa region.

“Kenya will continue to leverage on her experience as a mediator and guarantor of peace processes to advance the agenda of sustainable regional peace and security in the Horn of Africa and beyond, and seeks the global community’s support through multilateral fora,” he said.

One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses Wetangula and Gideon Moi also attended the dinner.