Egypt-Hungary Business Forum: New chapter has opened in Hungarian-Egyptian relations

Budapest (MTI) – A new chapter has opened in Hungarian-Egyptian relations, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after talks with Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s president, in Budapest on Friday.

Orban said an agreement the two leaders had just signed would bring dynamism to the two countries’ economic and political ties.

At a joint news conference, Orban said Egypt and Hungary’s economic network of ties had survived all types of political regime, and Hungary’s presence in the country “had always been strong”, he added, mentioning especially military cooperation.

One hundred scholarships have been established for Egyptian students, he said. Egyptian television and radio have forged cooperation with Hungarian public-service media, he added.

The prime minister said that in many places in Europe there was a fear of Islam, and even an antipathy towards it. Hungary is not such a country, he said, adding that in Hungary Islam is seen as one of humanity’s great intellectual and spiritual creations.

“We must speak of Islam with a voice of respect,” Orban said, adding that Hungary believes in cultural diversity. At the same time, it is not certain that social and organisational methods adopted in the western world are always successful and should be adopted by other civilisations.

“We are not teachers of democracy; decisions must be made by each nation concerning their own affairs,” he said, wishing the people of Egypt good luck in “walking their own path”.

Egypt is a special country without which there is no stability in the Arab region or in Europe, Orban said.

The Egyptian president urged Hungary to take part in his country’s developments and asked it to stand up for it in the European Union, he said in a statement. He called for strengthening industrial and trade relations between their countries.