State Secretary Dr István Mikola had bilateral talks with Egyptian Defence Minister Sedki Sobhy in Budapest on 22 February 2017.
The Egyptian Minister’s visit to Budapest took place in the wake of Egyptian head of state Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s visit to Budapest in 2015 and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s 2016 trip to Egypt. This clearly indicates the intensification of Hungarian-Egyptian relations. At the meeting, the State Secretary and the Defence Minister reviewed the challenges the two countries are facing, also covering political, economic and security policy issues.
After the bilateral talks, Mr Mikola opened the Hungarian-Egyptian Defence Industry Forum. In his speech, the State Secretary highlighted that Hungary fully supports the Egyptian Government’s efforts to consolidate the country’s internal situation, and the gradual improvement of the security and economic situation. He spoke in words of praise about the heroic struggle of the Egyptian security agencies against terrorism, with which they protect not only Egypt, but also Europe with Hungary in it. He pointed out that Hungary is committed to further strengthening its economic and political relations with Egypt.