The 1^st Hungarian-Kyrgyz Symposium of Rectors was preceded by important meetings and in-depth discussions. On behalf of the Hungarian Rectors’ Conference, President László Borhy travelled to the Kyrgyz Republic in the fall of 2022, where he had discussions with Mambetakunov Ulanbek Esenbekovich, Minister of Education and Science, and his deputy. At the meeting, the parties decided to provide the leaders of universities in the two countries with opportunities for meeting, networking, starting collaborations, and developing further partnerships.

The Budapest symposium attended by the leaders of twenty-three Kyrgyz universities was held at Eötvös Loránd University on 14 February 2023. The Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic to Hungary played a major role in organising the conference.

The participants of the conference were greeted in the Aula Magna by Veronika Varga-Bajusz, the Deputy State Secretary for Higher Education, and Minister Mambetakunov Ulanbek Esenbekovich on behalf of the Hungarian and Kyrgyz parties, respectively. At the plenary session, László Borhy, President of the Hungarian Rectors’ Conference and Rector of Eötvös Loránd University, Abdulda Inayatovich Musayev, President of the Association of Rectors of higher education institutions in Kyrgyzstan, Orsolya Pacsay-Tomassich, President of the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy, and Mirlan Kojchubekovich Chunbayev, Rector of the Razzazov I State Polytechnic University talked about the historical, humanitarian, and cultural cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Hungary. Balázs Hankó, State Secretary for Higher Education, said words of welcome on the occasion of the conclusion of cooperation agreements at the meeting.

ELTE played a prominent role in the research of Hungarian-Kyrgyz relations. Eötvös Loránd University is home to the oldest Department of Turkic Studies in Europe, which celebrated the 150^th anniversary of its establishment in 2020. ELTE was also the first Hungarian university to start teaching the Ottoman Turkish language 170 years ago. The pioneering work done by János Repiczky was followed by numerous prominent scholars engaged in Oriental Studies, and within that, Turkic Studies. Most of them – for example, József Thúry, Gyula Németh, Lajos Fekete, Gyula Káldy-Nagy, Klára Hegyi, and Pál Fodor – pursued their studies and later taught at ELTE. In 1870, the legal predecessor of what is now known as the ELTE Department of Turkic Studies was founded by Ármin Vámbéry, who was also one of Repiczky’s students.

In addition to classical philology, the leaders of the department have always placed great emphasis on teaching the modern Kyrgyz language and culture. This work is considerably promoted by books donated by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Science, which will be used to establish a “Kyrgyz Corner” at the ELTE Faculty of Humanities. After the announcement, Rector László Borhy expressed his appreciation and gratitude to Mambetakunov Ulanbek Esenbekovich for the outstanding support in Kyrgyz language teaching and presented the minister with an honorary certificate to commemorate it.

At present, eighty-three Kyrgyz students are pursuing their studies in various fields at Eötvös Loránd University. The Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship programme is undoubtedly a valuable support for them. In 2021, within the framework of the programme, Hungary increased the number of quotas available for Kyrgyz students taking part in higher education in Hungary to 200, but even this cannot satisfy the huge demand. The Erasmus+ mobility programme is also very popular. Kyrgyzstan belongs to the Region of Central Asia along with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2022, almost five times more applications were submitted for this region within the framework of the Erasmus+ mobility programme than the number of places available.

As the president of the Hungarian Rectors’ Conference, László Borhy said that a total of 390 Kyrgyz students studied at twenty-one Hungarian universities in the fall semester of the academic year 2022/2023. Most of the students pursued their studies in Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, mainly in the framework of the Stipendium Hungaricum. From the twenty-one universities, most students opted for the Eötvös Loránd University, the Corvinus University of Budapest, the University of Debrecen, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the Budapest Metropolitan University, and the University of Pécs.

In addition to the popular programmes, the currently unexploited possibilities were also discussed at the symposium due to the significant Kyrgyz interest. These include, for example, calls for applications for the Erasmus Mundus joint Master’s program implemented under the auspices of Erasmus+ and the Jean Monnet actions, as well as other offers meant to increase capacity and promote mobility.

During the day, ELTE signed a general inter-institutional agreement along with ten Kyrgyz universities. The documents underline the significance and potential further development of exchange programmes available for researchers, lecturers, students, and staff members. The universities will also be partaking in joint Ph.D. programmes and research projects. The plans include a regular exchange of materials on science and education, as well as the organisation of a joint summer school. The institutions also intend to provide technical assistance and training for each other.

As the final element of the rectors’ conference, the Diplomatic Academy of the Kyrgyz Republic awarded an honorary doctorate to Orsolya Pacsay-Tomassich, President of the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy.