Hungary-Israel cooperation at all-time high

Political and economic relations between Hungary and Israel are stronger than ever, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest on Wednesday, adding that the two countries were also discussing opportunities for energy cooperation.

Cooperation between Hungary and Israel has always been based on mutual respect, and Hungary has always supported the Jewish state’s right to defend itself and guarantee its security, Szijjártó told a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, according to a ministry statement.

“We condemn all the terrorist threats and attacks that Israel has had to face in the recent period, and we equally condemn the practice in international political organisations that involves the adoption of one-sided, biased statements of condemnation against Israel based on an unfair approach,” the minister said.

He said the “anti-Israel political stance” was in many cases also present in western Europe. “That is why we have had to veto several joint European statements in the recent period which were clearly biased, dishonest, unbalanced and unfair towards Israel,” Szijjártó said. He vowed that the Hungarian government would continue to push for a balanced and fair approach to Israel within the United Nations as well.

Szijjártó said the security of the Middle East was closely linked with the security of Europe, meaning that peace in the region was also in Hungary’s national security interest.

After decades of unsuccessful attempts, the Abraham Accords are the only agreements that offer hope for long-term peace, Szijjártó said, adding that the Hungarian government considered it a global security interest for even more Arab countries to normalise their relations with Israel.

“We ask the European Union and the international financial institutions to ensure financing for developments and investments that can be agreed within the framework of the Abraham Accords, as a form of encouragement for their expansion,” the minister said.