Political and economic relations between Hungary and Israel are stronger than ever, and the parties are also discussing possibilities for energy cooperation, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister, together with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, reported during their joint press conference that the cooperation between the two countries has always been characterized by mutual respect. Hungary has always supported the right of the Jewish state to self-defence and guaranteeing its security.
‘We condemn all the terrorist threats and attacks that Israel has had to face in recent times, and we also condemn the practice in international political organisations that
adopt condemnatory statements against Israel based on a one-sided, biased, unfair approach,’
Péter Szijjártó stated. ‘Unfortunately, this is not a distant phenomenon; the anti-Israel political stance is present in many cases in Western Europe as well. Therefore, in recent times, we have had to veto several joint European positions that were clearly biased, unfair, unbalanced, and unjust towards Israel,’ he said.
He emphasised that the government will continue to act in a balanced and fair manner within the United Nations. Szijjártó stated that the security of the Middle East is closely related to the security of Europe, and therefore, peace in the region is in Hungary’s national security interest. He emphasised that after decades of unsuccessful attempts, the so-called Abraham Accords hold the promise of long-term peace, and the government considers their extension a global security interest, encouraging and supporting more Arab countries to normalize their relations with Israel.
‘We ask the European Union and international financial institutions to provide financing for developments and investments that are created within the framework of the Abraham Accords, thus giving encouragement and support for the extension of the accords,’ he stated.
The minister strongly condemned terrorism and deemed it unacceptable that Palestinian organisations associated with terrorist groups could receive financial support from the European Union. ‘Based on today’s discussion, we have made the decision that
Hungary will intervene on the side of Israel in the international judicial procedure initiated by the Palestinian Authority against Israel,’
he announced, referring to the procedure related to the Middle East conflict and the legality of Israeli political steps.
‘I also told the minister that we reject all forms of anti-Semitism. We are proud to have the largest Jewish community in Central Europe living in Hungary,’ he conveyed. ‘We are concerned that a modern form of anti-Semitism has emerged in Western Europe. One of the sources of this phenomenon is mass illegal migration, which poses special security challenges to the continent,’ he added, emphasizing the importance of taking action against unregulated immigration.
Péter Szijjártó reported that bilateral economic cooperation has reached record levels, with trade turnover climbing to a new height of $750 million last year and growing by 38 per cent this year.
He stated that currently, 250 Israeli-owned companies employ more than four thousand people in Hungary, and
economic cooperation also extends to new areas such as defence and the space industry.
The minister also highlighted that they had also discussed how Israel could contribute to the security of Hungary’s energy supply.
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen emphasised the importance of the relationship based on mutual respect and friendship between the two countries, highlighting that significant partnerships have been formed in various areas such as innovation, security, trade, and culture.
Neokohn.hu also reported that during his visit to the Keren-Or Chabad centre in Budapest on Wednesday, 31 May, Cohen said Hungary may be the first EU country to move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, and the announcement to that effect may come ‘within weeks’.
