Following talks held in Budapest with President of Egypt Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that a new chapter has opened in the history of Hungarian-Egyptian relations. He added that the newly-signed agreements will give momentum to economic and political relations between the two countries.
At a joint press conference, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that at their meeting they discussed how Hungary could contribute to Egypt’s country-building process and to its economic development; he added that they have found means of cooperation.
Economic relations between Egypt and Hungary are not new, and they have survived all kinds of political regimes, the Prime Minister said, adding that “we have always had a strong presence in Egypt”. He highlighted military cooperation between the two countries.
Mr. Orbán announced that they have opened a scholarship framework for one hundred Egyptian students, and he welcomed the successful cooperation between Egyptian radio and television and Hungarian public media
The Prime Minister also said that many people in Europe are afraid of Islam, and in some places it is even regarded as an enemy. Hungary, however, is not such a country, as it regards Islam as one of the great intellectual and spiritual creations of humanity; “We talk about Islam with respect”, he said.
The Prime Minister added that “we believe in cultural diversity” and cultural differences must be respected, therefore when one talks about a country belonging to a different culture, “we always use the voice of respect”. He went on to say that forms of societal organisation which have proved successful in the Western world will not necessarily also be successful in other civilisations across the globe. “Deciding on this is not our task; this is why we are not teachers of democracy. Deciding on this is an issue for the nations concerned”, Mr. Orbán said. He also stressed that he is happy that the Egyptian people are going their own way, and he is keeping his fingers crossed for their success in this.
He emphasised that Egypt is a special country, as without it there is no stability in the Arab region, and since distances have shortened in the modern world, we can also say that without Egypt, there is no stability in Europe either.
On his official visit to Budapest, the President of Egypt said in his statement that Hungary should participate in Egypt’s development, and the two countries should strengthen industrial and trade relations. He asked Hungarians to stand up for his country in the European Union, and to inform Europeans about the achievements of the Egyptian leadership.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi called his discussions in Budapest fruitful, and he also pointed out that Hungarian-Egyptian relations have had a long and continuous history. He also thanked Hungarian soldiers for their work in serving in the Sinai Peninsula for around the last twenty years.
He said that with Prime Minister Orbán he had discussed Egypt’s stance on the fight against terrorism, the possible solutions to the Libyan conflict and the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts.
The President added that “the agreement between the two countries was visible throughout the discussions”, and they often shared the same stances.
Before the press conference, Prime Minister Orbán and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi signed a joint statement, and in their presence representatives of the two countries approved two agreements: a declaration of intent in the field of railway cooperation (an order for 700 carriages) and a memorandum of understanding between the ministries of interior.