BUDAPEST, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government announced a large-scale development project aimed at helping refugees in Uganda, media reported on Tuesday.

"Hungary's largest foreign development program, worth 5.1 billion Hungarian forints (18.2 million U.S. dollar), is being implemented in Uganda," according to Hungarian News Agency MTI, quoting Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto.

"The aim of the project is to help refugees and people living in Uganda, and to contribute in their quest of finding their livelihood in Africa so they do not have to migrate to Europe," Szijjarto added.

"The role of Uganda is decisive for the stability and the peace for East Africa," Szijjarto underlined.

He added that Hungary was supplying a water purification system to the largest refugee camp in Uganda, which would guarantee the daily drinking water supply of some 200,000 people.

"We are also installing a biometric identification system that can keep the data of refugees arriving here. In addition, we carry out an agricultural development - basically in the field of fishing - that contributes to solving the food problems of residents and refugees," Szijjarto declared.

Szijjarto also reported that a German-Hungarian joint water management development program would be starting in May in Uganda in cooperation between the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the German ministry of development.

Also in May Hungary will start a thermal water program in Uganda, as just like Hungary, the East African country is also very rich in thermal springs.

Szijjarto noted that if Europe helped to develop countries that were of key importance in migration, they could maintain their population and people would not move towards Europe.