Head of the Hungarian PM’s Office has talks in Jerusalem

Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, started official talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Gulyás met Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister for strategic affairs, and Amichai Chikli, minister for diaspora communities, as well as former Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, and university professors.

After his talks, Gulyás met local journalists and gave a briefing on the Hungarian government’s foreign and domestic policies. He said the Hungarian government shared the European position that Russia had committed an aggressive act against Ukraine. He also highlighted the importance of providing help to Ukrainian refugees and that of seeking a ceasefire and peace.

On another subject, he referred to Hungary’s dependence on Russian gas as a “heritage from communist times” and said the government had made significant efforts to remove that dependence.

Answering a question referring to a recent survey suggesting that one third of the Hungarian population had anti-Semitic leanings, Gulyás questioned the credibility of the survey and said the Hungarian government promoted zero tolerance for anti-Semitism. The Hungarian government is working to build good ties with all religious Jewish communities, he added, and noted Budapest’s flourishing Jewish cultural and religious life. The city is “uniquely secure” in European comparison, he said.