Orbán calls coexistence of civilizations key issue of future – UPDATE

Cairo, June 1 (MTI) – It is a key issue of the future how historical civilizations, for instance Islam and Christianity, will be able to co-exist, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Cairo on Wednesday after talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Cooperation between Hungary and Egypt is all the more important as both countries have important messages to tell about the coexistence of great historical civilizations, Orbán told reporters in the presidential palace.

Orbán said they had agreed on the importance of fighting against terrorism, stabilising Libya and strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.

Orbán applauded el-Sisi’s efforts to create stability in his country, a goal of key importance for the Middle East and Europe.

“Europe, including Hungary, has a vested interest in the success of the Egyptian president,” Orbán said.

El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s commitment to broadening cooperation with Hungary. He emphasised the need to address the causes of illegal migration, an issue that was also discussed by the two leaders.

The two leaders agreed to expand cooperation between Hungarian and Egyptian businesses and double bilateral trade turnover. They agreed to cooperate primarily in the areas of water management and the auto industry.

Orbán offered el-Sisi the services of Hungarian nuclear energy experts to help build Egypt’s first nuclear power plant.

He noted that there are currently 100 Egyptian university students pursuing studies in Hungary through state scholarship programmes and said the Hungarian government is willing to offer scholarships to even more students.

Earlier in the day, Hungarian and Egyptian ministers had signed several agreements.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto signed an economic cooperation pact with Egypt’s minister for international cooperation.

Defence Minister István Simicskó and his Egyptian colleague signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation.

Hungary’s Eximbank signed an agreement containing a financing offer for Egypt’s order of 700 railway carriages.

Representatives of the two countries’ public media also signed a cooperation agreement.

Orbán arrived in Egypt late Tuesday for an official visit. He and his delegation of government officials and business leaders will stay until Thursday.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters