Day of Arab culture held at Eötvös University of Budapest
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The third Day of Arab Culture, featuring an exhibition on 14 Arab countries, lectures and shows of traditional Arab cuisine, was held at Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) on Thursday.
In his opening speech, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér called the event an important chapter in increasingly stable Hungarian-Arab relations.
Hungary’s relations with the Arab countries were improving “at times when Europe’s southern and southeastern neighbours were hit by worse crises than ever before … which in turn pose serious challenges to the European continent itself,” Kövér said.
Mutual respect for the other country’s culture, religion and traditions is the basis for Hungary in its relations with other nations, Kövér said, adding that Hungary has had Arab ties for decades, but added that the intensity of those links has been “fluctuating”. He also noted turning points after 2010 and 2014, when “Hungary became strong enough both politically and economically to build intensive ties with Arab countries”.
“Hungary’s opening to the Arab world politically and economically, as well as in education and culture, has been a success despite a number of challenges including humanitarian disasters arising from armed conflicts, terrorist attacks and military intervention all further deepening the economic and social crisis,” Kövér said.