Hungary is interested in Egypt’s success because there is no stable Mediterranean and no stable Europe without a stable Egypt, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday at a business forum organized in Budapest by the Hungarian National Trading House, Inc. with the aim of raising awareness of Egypt’s business environment.
In his opening address, the Prime Minister also emphasized that only those countries have a future which are brave enough to go their own way. He said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi assumed this responsibility, he managed to stabilize Egypt and he may stabilize the entire Mediterranean in the future. Thus, Hungary is interested in the success of Egypt as a country, the success of the current government, and the success of President Sisi, he said.
Mr. Sisi and his cabinet pursue a country saving, country building policy, so Hungarian investors may take part in a major undertaking in the North African country which goes beyond profit and money, Mr. Orbán stressed. He also called on Hungarian public officials to help Hungarian entrepreneurs planning to invest in Egypt.
The Prime Minister said that he had had tough talks with President Sisi on the situation and future of the Middle East, as well as on Western intervention into the region’s affairs. He said that although the latter had yielded some results, all in all it had contributed to the problems of the Middle East. In relation to this Mr. Orbán pointed out that in the Christian West “we have invented a political system called democracy, and we are doing well with it despite its burdens and problems” but there is no guarantee that adopting the western forms would produce any result elsewhere. So we should better not act as teachers of the world, we should better not lecture on human rights and democracy,” he said.
In his speech President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi emphasized that after four years of instability Egypt has stepped onto the path of growth. He also asked Hungarian entrepreneurs and investors to help them along this path.
Sisi said the people of Egypt must understand the importance of stability. Egyptians “are now tolerant, which is the result of the past four years’ experience”, the President said, adding that as long as Egypt is on its feet, it means security for the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
He also stated that after the economic difficulties of the past years, Egypt has “no other option but to work, work, and work”.
Egypt’s economy has powerful potentials for Hungarian investors as well, if only because “Hungary is close to Egypt, Hungarian people are culturally close to us”, the Egyptian President said. He added that “we are close to each other with Prime Minister Mr. Orbán and the Hungarian ministers” whom he had met. Sisi pointed out that Egypt had the capabilities to develop but these could not be exploited due to the hardships in the past few years. He counted on the help of Hungarians in the future to benefit from such capabilities, he said.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was elected President of Egypt in 2014. One year earlier, as chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, he ousted the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi who was democratically elected in 2012.