PHOTOS: senior advisor of Trump received the Hungarian Order of Merit

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Thursday decorated Jared Kushner, a senior advisor to former US president Donald Trump, with the Hungarian Order of Merit, Middle Cross in recognition of his work to strengthen US-Hungary relations and promoting peace in the Middle East.

The ministry cited Szijjártó saying in his laudation that Kushner was a “diplomat for peace” in connection with the Abraham Accords, adding that Hungary-US relations were at an all-time high during the presidency of Trump, in which Kushner played an important role.

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Szijjártó also said that the government placed its foreign policy on a basis of mutual respect, and while it did not wish to comment in detail on the upcoming US mid-term elections so as not to lay itself open to the accusation of interference, it was clearly rooting for the Republican Party.

Szijjártó to hold talks with US companies on intensifying presence in Hungary

Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade, will hold talks with top US business managers on intensifying the presence of their companies in the Hungarian market, in New York on Thursday. Amidst recession, investments are the only instrument that can help maintain Hungary’s economic growth, all the more so because the country’s economic performance greatly relies on foreign investment projects and export, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The minister is scheduled to hold talks with CEOs of Suez Water Technologies, Eaton Corporation and Oracle. US companies form the second biggest group of foreign investors in Hungary, with 1,700 companies employing a total workforce of 110,000, Szijjártó said, adding that US companies excel in bringing high technology to Hungary.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said that the global fight against terrorism would feature high on the agenda. The minister said terrorism remains a serious global threat, particularly since food crises triggered by the war in Ukraine may intensify waves of migration, which terrorists take advantage of to cross borders.

When it comes to international peacekeeping cooperation, Hungary punches above its weight, Szijjarto said, adding that Hungarian troops are present in Iraq and ready to deploy in the Sahel region, while a regional bureau of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism is operation in Budapest, he said.

The minister argued that the costs of efforts to counterterrorism should be covered from the UN budget. Szijjártó noted that he would meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday evening for talks on the war in Ukraine and on bilateral cooperation in energy supply. “Setting aside dreams and illusions, natural gas and crude oil supply is a physical issue, and cooperation with Russia is a must for Hungary to guarantee its energy supply,” the minister added.

Source: MTI