Middle East

Exotic airline comes to Budapest with new flights this summer

Kuwait Airline exotic Budapest

We wrote before that Kuwait Airways plans to launch flights to Athens, Barcelona, Berlin and Budapest. Plans quickly turned reality: the Middle-Eastern airline announced that their planes would start to travel between Budapest and Kuwait City, the capital of the Persian Gulf country, in mid-June. Additional details are below.

Kuwait Airways coming to Budapest

According to airportal.hu, Kuwait Airways’ A320neo planes will commute between the two cities on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The first will take off in June, and the service will operate until the end of September.

We can make ticket reservations for the flight between 13 June and 30 September, based on the article of the Hungarian travel news outlet. The flights will take off in Kuwait City at 9.30 local time (GMT+3) and arrive in Budapest at 1.20 pm (GMT+1). The coming flight will bear the number KU 143, while the departing will be KU 144. The latter will leave the Hungarian capital at 2.05 pm and land in the gulf state capital at 7.40 local time.

The flight time will be 4 hours and 50 minutes from Kuwait City to Budapest and 4 hours 35 minutes and vice versa. However, tickets will not be cheap, according to airportal.hu.

Currently, we have to pay 170 thousand HUF (EUR 435) for an economy-class return ticket. Meanwhile, a business class ticket costs more than 700 thousand HUF (EUR 1,793).

At the moment, the reservation system of the airline does not offer transfer tickets from Budapest to Kuwait Airlines destinations in India and the Far East.

Kuwait Airlines is to launch new flights to Spain, Greece, Germany and Saudi Arabia to Al-Ula, Taif and Al-Qassim. Airportal.hu found that the company has been operating three flights weekly to Vienna since June 2022. They also use A320neo planes in that direction.

In their fleet, they have seven Airbus A320-200, seven Airbus A320neo, five Airbus A330-200, four Airbus A330-800neo and ten Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Wizz Air
Read alsoImportant: Wizz Air cancels all flights to this city

Wizz Air chaos: Hungarians stuck in Abu Dhabi without food, water

Wizz Air plane flight

A Hungarian passenger of the low-cost airline talked about the latest scandal concerning Wizz Air to a Hungarian tabloid. His flight was delayed by almost one day, but the passengers got one hotel breakfast and 0.5l water for 23 hours. Organising their accommodation and transfer was chaotic, he highlighted. Below you may read Wizz Air’s reaction.

Wizz Air passengers in trouble

Barnabás Tóth was on a Wizz Air flight on 28 January at 8 PM. They were about to take off when their ordeal started. 10-20 minutes after their scheduled departure, the captain told them the plane could not leave the airport due to technical difficulties. Therefore, they had to leave the jet even though all of the passengers occupied their seats, Blikk wrote.

More than 200 people were on board, most of them Hungarians. Mr Tóth asked the pilot what they should expect. He said that the plane would probably take off the next day.

At 9 PM, Wizz Air sent them an SMS and an email writing that their flight would leave Abu Dhabi on 29 January at 10 AM.

As a result, they were escorted into the airport waiting room. However, noone could leave that since they were checked in. They were not even allowed to buy food or drink. The crew said that Wizz Air would provide them with accommodation for free and transfer and asked for the passengers’ patience until they finish the paperwork.

However, Mr Tóth and his fellow passengers could only leave the waiting room at 3 AM. Until then, nothing happened, the Hungarian airline said nothing. It was 4.30 AM when they got the keys to their hotel rooms. Everybody told them their plane would leave at 10 AM, but Wizz Air modified that time in their application to 3 PM.

Here is the reaction of the Hungarian airline

However, the hotel did not get that information and woke them up at 7 AM to transport them to the airport. Halfway, they told them their plane would delay, so they turned to the hotel.

Moreover, the plane left only at 5 PM and had to stop in Varna, Bulgaria, for refuelling. That is because it was a smaller plane than the original. As a result, the passengers reached Budapest 23 hours later than was due. During those 23 hours, they got breakfast in the hotel and 0.5l water in the airport’s waiting room around 1 AM, Barnabás Tóth complained to Blikk.

He said they got no information about compensation. Furthermore, their luggage did not arrive in Budapest because their second plane was smaller. According to Wizz Air, they will get it this week, but they could not give a more precise time.

Wizz Air notified their passengers about the delay per email and SMS, and their contracted partner helped them with the accommodation and the transfer, the company told Blikk. They apologised for the inconveniences and offered compensation for the travellers.

wizz air hungary
Read alsoWill Hungary-based Wizz Air be acquired?

Foreign minister: Hungary supports ‘Israel’s right for self-defence’

szijjártó brussels

Hungary “unequivocally condemns all forms of terrorism”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a post on Facebook on Saturday, after a terrorist attack in Israel killed eight and injured dozens on Friday.

Szijjártó expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. He said Hungary’s interest is in peace and stability in the Middle East. “We support the implementation and continuation of the Abraham Accords and at the same time recognise Israel’s right for self defence,” he added.

Two new airlines will fly from Budapest!

Budapest Airport new airlines

The regional Romanian startup airline, Air Connect, will launch its first flights to Budapest from Bucharest and Kolozsvár (Cluj Napoca) this March. According to the timetable, they will fly twice a week. Meanwhile, the chairman of Kuwait Airways said they planned to open new European routes and destinations, including Budapest.

According to airportal.hu, the flights of Air Connect are to commute from 28 March to Budapest from the Henri Coandă International Airport in Bucharest (OTP), and the Cluj Napoca International Airport (CLJ).

The flights are to operate between the cities twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. They will fly in a W-shape: Bucharest – Budapest – Cluj Napoca (Kolozsvár) – Budapest – Bucharest.

Based on the timetable, their plane will take off at 9 AM on Tuesday in Bucharest. It will arrive in Budapest at 9.50 AM and take off at 10.20 AM towards Kolozsvár. There, it will land at 12.35 PM. From Cluj, it will start its flight back to Budapest at 1.05 PM and land in the Hungarian capital at 1.30 PM. Please, note the time zone difference: GMT+1 is Hungary, while GMT+2 is Romania. Therefore, the travel time will remain 1 hour and 15 minutes between the “capitals” of Transylvania and Hungary. From the Budapest International Airport, it will take off again at 1.50 PM and land in Bucharest at 4.40 PM. The travel time between Bucharest and Budapest will be 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Budapest Airport says provided you book your tickets until 29 January, you will get a 25 percent price reduction:

On Saturday, the travel times will be the same, but the planes will start 2 hours earlier. The airlines will use ATR 72-600 planes having 68 tourist class seats on their board.

First, Air Connect planned to start their service from Budapest on 15 October. However, they postponed the start. Five Romanian private investors created the startup company beginning operation in August 2022. The airline aims to serve the airports of the country, the region and the popular summer tourist places in Romania.

Meanwhile, the revenues of Kuwait Airways grew by 115 percent compared to 2021. The airline plans to launch new flights in 2023 to Athens, Barcelona, Berlin and Budapest. Furthermore, they will send planes to the Saudi Arabian cities of Al-Ula, Taif and Al-Qassim. Moreover, they will operate three flights per week to Vienna thrice a week, airportal.hu wrote.

Wizz Air Airbus A321neo
Read alsoWizz Air expands offering to destinations in Turkey

Wizz Air closes a flight from Hungarian international airport and opens two new

Wizz Air Hungary

Hungary’s Wizz Air continuously highlights how smoothly it develops its fleet and routes, including new destinations one after the other, even in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. However, they decided to close one of their flights from Debrecen international airport. Meanwhile, their first flights to Saudi Arabia took off yesterday from Budapest.

According to okosutas.hu, Hungary’s leading low-cost airline, Wizz Air, has decided to close their flight to Paris Beauvais this winter. Before the COVID pandemic, the airline stationed two planes in the second biggest Hungarian city’s airfield. Now that number is only one, and it seems the company uses it even less frequently.

In the winter schedule, Wizz Air has only four destinations from Debrecen. Before, they communicated that they would not fly to the French capital from end-March, but they deleted all available flights in February and March. Unlike Ryanair, Wizz Air never communicates its flight cancellations. They only share information about the new destinations but refuse to comment or share information about negative news. It seems that is their market strategy. If you want to travel to Paris from Debrecen with Wizz Air, 27 January will be your last chance.

After that, you may only go to London, Tel-Aviv, Eindhoven and Larnaka from Debrecen with the Hungarian airline. In the summer, new destinations will include Mallorca, Burgas and Corfu.

We reported before that Wizz Air closed three European bases, one in Cardiff, Wales, one in Bacău, Romania and one in Bari, Italy.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian low-cost carrier announced the launch of direct flights between Budapest and destinations in Saudi Arabia yesterday. From 9 January, Wizz Air is operating flights between the Hungarian capital and Riyadh and Jeddah twice a week.

Those destinations have been reachable with Wizz Air from Austria and Italy since end-2022. Based on the plans, they would like to carry more than one million passengers to the Middle-Eastern monarchy in 2023. That is how they would like to help Saudi Arabia’s Vision 30 program aiming to triple the number of passengers choosing to travel there, the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) wrote.

Wizz Air flies to 10 Middle-Eastern destinations from Budapest, chairman Robert Carey pointed out in the company’s statement sent to the MTI.

Wizz Air plane Ukraine All You Can Fly
Read alsoHungarian Wizz Air is among the world’s safest airlines!

Wizz Air offers extra cheap flight from Budapest

Wizz Air Hungary

That is not the first time Hungary’s low-cost airline, Wizz Air, offers flights for an advantageous price from Budapest. The company sells tickets to Aqaba, the only coastal city in Jordan near the Red Sea. Furthermore, you can book a ticket for that reduced price for the whole winter. Below you may find the details.

The pricing team of Wizz Air sometimes calculates strange ticket costs, okosutas.hu says. Now a ticket to Aqaba, Jordan, costs only EUR 9.99, which they converted to HUF 4,290 on Thursday when the forint was around 400 HUF/EUR. However, even though the exchange rate of the Wizz Air is terrible, the ticket price is by all means favourable for everybody planning to travel during the winter to the 40 °C port city.

Interestingly, Wizz Air kept the price of autumn flights at 40 EUR. They did not reduce it even if their plane was only half-booked. Now they decided to do the opposite and offer cheap flights there. Furthermore, they still have to pay the government’s excess profits tax, which the Ryanair’s CEO called madness.

In Aqaba, 30 °C in mid-January is not exceptional, and the weather is fine. If there, you should not miss a two-day trip to Petra or the Wadi Rum desert. On the other side of the border, there is Eilat (Israel), and you can travel there from Vienna for a reduced price. However, that is much higher than Wizz Air. Prices are considerably higher in Israel than in Jordan, but quality, too.

Hungary to send food packages to Lebanese children

Hungary helps

Food packages to some 1,000 children have left Warsaw for Lebanon in a move organised by the Hungarian embassy in Warsaw and supported by the Hungary Helps programme, the embassy told a press conference on Friday.

Polish Education Minister Przemyslaw Czarnek thanked Hungary for its contributions to the programme, adding that the Polish government would launch another similar programme early next year.

Hungary helps program
Read alsoHungary helps persecuted Christians all over the world

Orbán: Hungary will not be able to organise any major sports events in 2023 and 2024

infantino fifa orbán hungary football

Hungarian football is on course to redeem its old glory, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview to Nemzeti Sport online, adding that by 2030 the national eleven would be great again.

In the interview in Qatar, Orbán said:

“Lionel Messi is the greatest; literally the smallest boy that has grown to be the greatest hero.”

He called the competition “unique” for being organised in an Arab country for the first time. “Arab football flashed its real strength through the Moroccan team,” he added.

The prime minister said the Western world had had to learn how to behave according to different rules. “This time they weren’t hosts but guests, yet they tried to force their habits on their hosts…” The Western world, with its “colonial instincts”, has forgotten the adage: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” he added.

Qatar could have spent their money “on anything” other than the World Cup, but “it is good that they spent it on football,” Orbán said.

He said bilateral ties with Qatar were excellent the country was “a friend of Hungary” with a number of large investments here.

Orban praised Hungary’s Sándor Csányi, FIFA’s vice president, for his initiative to allow players to be in their home countries’ teams even if they had played in the junior teams of other countries. That is why, he said, there were many players in the Moroccan and other African teams who had played, for example, in France as youngsters.

Viktor Orbán MOL excess profits
Read alsoPM Orbán on Qatar World Cup: Good when cultures meet

Orban said the “Golden” Hungarian team of the 1950s had been “no doubt one of the best” but “we were not there in Qatar this time because we could not win when we should have.” But Hungarian soccer was improving, he noted. In the 20 years after 1989, Hungarian football descended into darkness, “and it has taken another twenty years to emerge”, but by 2030 it will have “regained its old glory”, he said.

Referring to “spectacular games” in soccer club leagues, Orbán said that ultimately national teams unsullied by corruption were of the greatest value.

Discussing sport more broadly, Orban said it would take another year before changes in the government’s sports management could be assessed. Seven-year development programmes the government launched for sports associations are being completed, he said. Those schemes will be evaluated individually, while new agreements with the associations for the next two Olympic cycles are being signed, he added.

Pointing to the war in Ukraine, the prime minister noted difficulties in running sports facilities and high energy costs. These problems will “stay with us” and

Hungary will not be able to organise any major sports events in 2023 and 2024, Orbán said.

The Hungarian government has “built and organised everything possible” in the area of sports in the past 12 years, he said, referring to Budapest’s new athletics stadium and the athletics world championships as “the crown” of those efforts. “We have organised all events possible that are worth organising — apart from the Olympics,” Orbán said.

Qatar Abdulla Falah Abdulla Al Dosari
Read alsoQatar Ambassador to Budapest: Hungary is very rich in human wealth

PHOTOS: Hungarian-built school inaugurated in Iraq

iraq school novák katalin

Hungarians want peace in their homeland and on their borders, President Katalin Novák said on Saturday in Erbil, Iraq, where she met Hungarian troops serving there. She also said Hungary is ready to help whenever necessary. She and Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the autonomous Kurdistan Region, inaugurated the Meltho International School on Saturday in Iraq.

On the visit to the base in Iraqi Kurdistan, where she was received by contingent commander Gabor Hraska, Novák “conveyed the respect and thanks of the Hungarian people“, and warned of the possible escalation of the 10 month war in Ukraine. Hungary needs its troops to maintain and preserve peace, she said.

Further, Hungary needs experienced soldiers who have useful practical experience as well as theoretical knowledge for the protection of the homeland, she said. International terrorism is another common enemy, she said. “You are fighting against international terrorism here, in Kurdistan.” Tamás Vargha, a state secretary of the defence ministry, also greeted the troops.

Hungarian-built school inaugurated in Iraq

“We Hungarians are a people of action,” Novák said, “and now we are here to support you and your communities.” Hungary exercises humility in foreign relations, Novák said. “We are respectful and do not lecture others. We want to understand and get to know our partners,” she said.

Hungary also sees democracy as a priority, and condemns all forms of violence and terrorism, she added. The Hungary Helps programme embodies the commitment to helping local communities, “facing challenges where they arise rather than forcing people and communities to leave their homelands”, she said.

The newly inaugurated school will hopefully contribute to the development necessary to maintain a strong community, she said. “As the first female president of my country, I hope that opening this school will also contribute to strengthening the role of women,” she added. Barzani thanked Hungary’s help and “Christian brotherliness” in “investing in the future of the people of our region”, and thanked Novák for her visit.

Novák also met Yazidi women, assault survivors at the hands of the Islamic State. “Yazidi women who were abducted and assaulted along with thousands of others by the Islamic State solely because of their religious faith, have shared heartbreaking stories with me. Hungary will help in that situation too, through the Hungary Helps programme,” she said on Facebook.

President Katalin Novák visit Iraq
Read alsoPHOTOS: Hungarian president on official visit in Iraq

PHOTOS: Hungarian president on official visit in Iraq

President Katalin Novák visit Iraq

Hungarian President Katalin Novák met her Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad on Friday as part of her four-day official visit to Iraq.

“We just had a historic meeting with Abdul Latif Rashid, President of Iraq, as no Hungarian President has ever visited Baghdad before. We both agreed that international terrorism is our common enemy and we condemn all of its forms. Hungary’s commitment is shown not only in words, but also in deeds, as Hungarian military forces participate in the fight against the Islamic State,” Novák said in an English language post on Facebook.

The two presidents discussed the Hungarian government’s Hungary Helps aid programme designed to support the most vulnerable groups of society including children, women and persecuted Christians, Novák’s office said in a statement. “We firmly believe that help must be provided where trouble emerges instead of bringing troubled people to Europe,” the office quoted her as saying.

Novák discussed with the Iraqi president the Russian-Ukrainian war and they were in agreement that the sides should make peace as soon as possible. The Hungarian president afterwards travelled on to Tel Skuf where she participated in a community prayer held for peace. Novák also visited a kindergarten in the town in northern Iraq where Hungary has helped rebuild several residential houses, schools and a church destroyed by ISIS.

Later on, Novák visited Alqosh and met Lara Yussif Zara, the mayor. Accompanying Novák, Tristan Azbej, the foreign ministry’s state secretary for aiding persecuted Christians and the coordinator of the Hungary Helps scheme, told public media that “due to our Christian identity, we stand up for persecuted Christians, the most persecuted religious community in the world, with 300 million of its followers suffering persecution as a result of their beliefs”.

He noted that in Tel Skuf, Hungary had provided a humanitarian emergency aid to the town and contributed to rebuilding 900 residential houses allowing nearly 1,000 families return to their homes.

cape town
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Hungarian president to visit Iraq

Hungarian President official visit Ukraine

President Katalin Novák will leave for Iraq on Thursday, the Sándor Palace told MTI on Thursday.

She will be the first Hungarian head of state to visit that country.

Staying in Iraq from until Saturday, Novák will meet Hungarian soldiers stationed in that Middle Eastern country.

The president will visit humanitarian projects implemented under the auspices of the Hungary Helps programme, the presidential office said.

Viktor Orbán MOL excess profits
Read alsoPM Orbán: the government would take MOL’s excess profits, shares fall

Hungary Helps programme spent some 80 million dollars on persecuted Christians worldwide

szijjártó

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó pledged the Hungarian government’s support to persecuted Christians worldwide, despite current economic difficulties, at a conference held in London on Monday.

At the International Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Conference, Szijjártó said the government’s Hungary Helps programme has spent some 80 million dollars on reconstructing schools and hospitals and on economic support enabling locals to stay in their homeland. The programme has provided aid in 54 countries so far, he said.

The scheme has funded the Nigerian Catholic Church and the Iraqi Chaldean Church which work to help women who survived sexual violence at the hands of Islamist terrorists, he said.

Despite economic difficulties, European recession and other challenges, Hungary is committed to carrying on with the programme, he added.

The conference was organised by the United Kingdom’s government between November 28-29.

Amman
Read alsoHungary gives delivery of medical supplies to Caritas Jordan

Hungarian House Speaker to visit Oman to strengthen political and cultural ties

Speaker László Kövér

Speaker of Parliament László Kövér left on Saturday, 12 November, for an official visit to Oman, Parliament’s press chief has said.

Kövér is visiting the Gulf country at the invitation of the chairman of Oman’s Consultative Assembly, Zoltán Szilágyi said in a statement.

Kövér is the first Hungarian parliamentary speaker to visit the Sultanate of Oman. The aim of the visit is to strengthen bilateral political, economic, education and cultural ties, and to establish ties between Hungary’s Parliament and Oman’s Consultative Assembly.

Kövér will hold talks with Consultative Assembly Chairman Sheikh Khalid Al Mawali, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said, State Council Chairman Sheikh Abdul Malik Abdullah Ali Al Khalili and Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi.

The speaker will be accompanied on his visit by Fidesz MP Lászlo Horváth, who heads parliament’s Hungarian-Gulf Countries Friendship Chapter and its Hungarian-Omani Friendship Group.

László Toroczkai, leader of Mi Hazánk Mozgalom and the mayor of Ásotthalom
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Hungary gives delivery of medical supplies to Caritas Jordan

Amman

Hungary has delivered to Jordan medical supplies worth HUF 250 million (EUR 613,000) with the aim of improving the health care of Christian communities in the country, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Amman on Wednesday.

“We hope to improve the care of local Christians and Christian refugees from Syria,” Szijjártó said at the event, where he handed the equipment over to the organisation.

hungarospa hajdúszoboszló
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“The world faces serious security challenges, but even in this situation we must not forget that many communities are still severely persecuted worldwide,” he said. Hungary as a thousand-year-old Christian state feels responsible for helping persecuted Christians, one of the most persecuted faiths in the world, he said.

The Hungary Helps programme supports ten projects in Jordan, valued at HUF 900 million, aiding local Christian communities, Szijjártó said, pledging to keep up the support.

Wizz Air plane flight
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Hungarian FM: Right-wing wins in Israel, US would ‘raise hope’ for peace, stability

Szijjártó Jordan

A stable Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and a Republican win at the US midterm elections later this week would raise hope for peace in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Jordan on Wednesday.

Reacting to the Tuesday elections in Israel at a panel discussion at the Amman Security Forum, Szijjártó welcomed what he called a “realistic chance for Netanyahu’s return”, noting that Netanyahu was the leader to sign the Abraham Accords which normalised Israel’s relations with several Arab states.

He said the midterm elections in the United States next Tuesday also looked “promising”. A stable Netanyhu government in Israel and Republican majority in the US Congress would be the “most promising and hopeful development” for peace and security in the Middle East, he said.

The region’s security has a direct effect on European security, Szijjártó said, calling for the continuation of the peace process “started by former president Donald Trump”. The Abraham Accords was the first tangible result in the peace process after years of failed attempts, he said, adding that Trump’s achievements in promoting dialogue between Israel and four Arab states should be acknowledged.

Orbán NATO expansion
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“The moral is that we need real leaders who are strong and brave enough to open communication channels between parties that are in grave conflict,” he said.

Europe in its current state could not handle another security challenge, and so swift steps are needed towards “peace and calm in the Middle East”, he said.

The same method should be implemented in Ukraine, too, he said. “If President Trump could restart negotiations and bring peace closer between Israel and several Arab states, then brokering peace in Ukraine should also be possible,” he said.

“We need dialogue and we need to reopen channels of communication, because if we give up on dialogue, we are giving up the hope of peace,” he added.

European Union European Parliament eu presidency
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PHOTOS: Arab Cultural Day held in Budapest

Arab Cultural Day Budapest

Some 15 Arabic countries were presented at the Arab Cultural Day at the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest on Saturday.

The event featuring exhibitions, presentations by Arabic artists, concerts and food was opened by House Speaker László Kövér.

Kövér in his address said Hungarians’ links with the Arab world and culture go back to the time preceding the founding of the Hungarian state. The intensity of maintaining ties received new impetus with the government launching its policy of opening to the south after 2010, he said.

Arab Cultural Day Budapest
Photo: MTI

“Economic mixed committees have been reformed, we have developed a network of attaches covering the entire region and we have launched the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship scheme,” said Kövér. Some

3,308 Arab students study in Hungary on scholarships

and they represent 31 percent of all students in the Stipendium Hungaricum scheme, he added.

Arab Cultural Day Budapest
Photo: MTI

Economic relations represent the main area of cooperation, the house speaker said. Hungary’s exports to Arabic countries exceeded 1 billion dollars in each of the past six years and Hungarian imports from these countries doubled during the period of 2016-2018, he added.

arab culture day 2019
Read alsoArab Cultural Day in Hungary

“It is our common interest to further enliven foreign trade,” he said. Learning about each other’s values is a tool for this and culture and education play an important role in this process, he added.

Arab Cultural Day Budapest
László Kövér, the Speaker of the House. Photo: MTI

Ambassador of Morocco Karima Kabbaj said culture plays a key role in the cooperation of nations and in maintaining their relations in the long term. She added that Hungarian and Arab culture have maintained a harmonious relationship for a very long time.

She expressed thanks to the Hungarian government for its position on Arab affairs, especially in efforts aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The ambassador also expressed thanks for the scholarships Hungary has offered to Arab students.

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Qatar Ambassador to Budapest: Hungary is very rich in human wealth

Qatar Abdulla Falah Abdulla Al Dosari

His Excellency Abdulla Falah Al-Dosari, Qatar’s ambassador to Budapest, honoured us with an interview. He talked about his first impressions about Hungary and the Hungarian people, how Qatar prepares to organise the greatest sport event of the world, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and why guests should visit the Arab Cultural Day organised next week in Budapest.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): Can you tell us a bit about your career? You have a very long history as a diplomat.

Al Dosari: At the outset, I would like to thank your esteemed Daily News Hungary website and you personally for giving me the opportunity to answer your questions and present my country’s viewpoint on various issues.

After I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in political science in 1980, I began working in my country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and since then I have represented my country at the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Vienna, and worked as an ambassador in Islamabad, Brussels and Rabat, as well as working in various departments of the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

DNH: What did you hear about Hungary before you embarked on your Budapest mission? What did you imagine Hungarians would be like?

Al Dosari: It has been about 10 months since I came to Hungary. I feel that during this short period of time I have come to know a country and society that is active, developed and full of love for life. I made new friends and acquaintances from different segments of the Hungarian people. I became more and more familiar with the history of Hungary and the region of Eastern Europe, about which we did not know much before. We can say that it is an ancient history spanning more than a thousand years, during which Hungary witnessed very great events, but it maintained its entity, and this in itself is a great thing.

DNH: And what is your current perception of us and our country?

Al Dosari: Hungary is a very beautiful country and it seems clear that the Hungarian people take care of their country, and they want it to rise to the level of the developed countries in the world. We can say that Hungary is very rich, not in mineral resources, but in human wealth, which has given a lot to civilisation in science, medicine, engineering, sports, music and other arts.

DNH: Qatar is preparing to host what is probably the biggest sporting event in the world. Unfortunately, Hungary did not qualify for the World Cup. How can you describe its atmosphere to Hungarian fans? What are the stadiums and their surroundings like?

Al Dosari: The State of Qatar gives great importance to sport, beside arts and culture. Qatar has been the first Arab state to host the prestigious FIFA 2022 World Cup, as the smallest country to ever organise this event. It promises to have a wide impact as new opportunities emerge for Qatar, other GCC states and the region. As a result of the investment and development drive the country aims to become a center for great sports events. With more than 2 million visitors expected, this mega event will accelerate growth in diverse sectors such as tourism, hospitality and infrastructure, and will contribute to the goals of Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

DNH: Almost every continent has an opponent in your group. What do you expect from the host team?

Al Dosari: As a citizen of Qatar, it is natural that I want my team to win all its matches, but we know that the other participating teams are trying to win the championship, and therefore I can only say that the football yard is flat, the ball is round and the foot is the one that shoots the ball to achieve the goal. We are waiting for a fun game from all participating teams.

DNH: Let’s discuss the import/export trade between Hungary and Qatar. What types of Hungarian products would likely be in demand in your country? And what Qatari products can Hungarian customers find on the shelves of local stores?

Al Dosari: We suggest that companies, businessmen and chambers of commerce and industry from both countries meet and draw up a list of the most important goods and commodities that each side needs from the other.

DNH: The Qatari Embassy is also co-organising the upcoming Arab Cultural Day. What can you share with us about the event?

Al Dosari: The Arab Cultural Day, which will be organised on October 15, 2022 at the Ethnographic Museum in Budapest under the patronage of Mr. László Kövér, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, is an event where the Arab embassies in Hungary are trying to exhibit their countries’ most prominent cultural achievements, heritage and traditions.

Of course, time and place do not allow us to show all the cultural achievements of the Arab nation, but the visitors can see the richness and cultural diversity that extends over a large area in the Arab world.

In the Qatari stand, we will display some gifts and souvenirs designed specifically for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, including a miniature of the World Cup that will be given to the winning team.

 

DNH: How can you introduce Hungary to Qatari or other Muslim tourists travelling to our country? What are the main attractions they should definitely visit? And what are the must-try Hungarian dishes?

Al Dosari: We consider that it is very important for the Hungarian embassies accredited to the Arab countries to promote Hungary to travel companies, tourism agencies, hospitality services and hotels. As well as distributing tourist brochures highlighting the beautiful landmarks of Hungary.

Hungary helps persecuted Christians all over the world

Hungary helps program

The foreign ministry department in charge of helping persecuted Christians and the Hungary Helps scheme have met with Hungarian Interchurch Aid leaders to review the results of their cooperation and set future tasks, the ministry said on Thursday.

Hungarian Interchurch Aid has acted as a strategic partner of the Hungary Helps programme in recent years, implementing several schemes in east Africa, and it has also been a key partner in supporting government aid in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement.

They agreed to extend and strengthen their cooperation, especially in relation to efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, support persecuted Christians returning home to Iraq, and help communities subjected to economic and violent threats in Ethiopia, the ministry said.

The statement cited foreign ministry state secretary Tristan Azbej as saying that the humanitarian aid programme launched by the Hungarian government five years ago — which has helped over half million people return to their place of birth — “could not have worked without the cooperation and help of such key partners and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid”.

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