HE Ambassador of Hungary to the State of Qatar Ferenc Korom expressed his country’s welcome for HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s visit to Budapest.
HE the Hungarian Ambassador said that HH the Amir is one of the most important political leaders of the world who is an advocate of peace and stability both in the Middle East region and in the world in general.
In an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency , HE the Ambassador said “We are deeply honored and pleased that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is making a historic visit to Hungary as a Guest of Honor on 20 August which is our national day and also for visiting the 2023 World Athletics Championships which we organize this year between 19-27 August,” noting that his country is hosting the World Athletics Championships following Qatar’s hosting of the most successful FIFA World Cup in football history, as Qatar set very high standards in event management, security measures and many other fields. “This year we very much wish to follow the Qatari example and best practices in order to successfully organize the most important sport event in 2023,” His Excellency added.
“This context of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s visit to Hungary indicates the high level our bilateral relations have reached in the last couple of years. During the current visit, we can sign a number of agreements that create the solid basis for our cooperation in important areas and also, we can open discussions in many other areas of mutual importance. ” HE the Hungarian Ambassador said.
HE stressed that relations between Hungary and Qatar have reached an unprecedented level in terms of high-level diplomatic visits on both sides, and the volume of bilateral trade exchange which has reached historic level, noting that HE Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban has visited Qatar twice in the last year, during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and Qatar Economic Forum in May.
During his last visit to Qatar in May, HE the Hungarian Prime Minister expressed Budapest’s intention to raise its relationship with Doha to a strategic level which it only maintains with its most important political and economic partners, HE the Ambassador said.
HE Ambassador Ferenc Korom noted that the bilateral agreements that are currently under discussion by the sides cover such important areas as health, investment, agriculture or defense, among many others. He emphasized that what is even more important than that is Hungary’s relationship with Qatar is based on decades of friendship and mutual respect, as the two countries share many social and human values, and the same position in a number of issues of high importance in political affairs.
HE underlined that his country’s top priority at the moment is to finalize the bilateral investment protection agreement which would be a significant development in the relationship between Doha and Budapest. “We hope that this document will significantly stimulate our bilateral investments in the future,” he said, adding that the signing of the bilateral agreements will initiate cooperation in a number of areas in which valuable expertise can be shared, in addition to learning about the Qatari best practices that would benefit his country.
“While both our countries is seeking peace and stability in current affairs, we see huge potential in military education, training and the defense industry. The cooperation in these fields guarantees that we are able to maintain the desired peace and stability. Besides sports, education and tourism could also be areas where we can develop closer ties,” HE said, adding that Hungarian universities offer world-class education programs among others in medicine, physical education, engineering and music, expressing hope that with time, more Qatari students will see these opportunities and the huge potential in the Hungarian education sector.
Regarding the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, HE the Hungarian Ambassador indicated that the bilateral trade exchange has reached historical level, amounting to approximately USD 77 million in 2022, but said “we are still far from exploiting all the opportunities in bilateral trade.” He added that dairy products “is one of the most important Hungarian export companies and we are proud to see the Hungarian kashkawan cheese, labneh and others in many Qatari stores.” The Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) is very active and has a program to support the expansion of Hungarian companies abroad, he said, expressing hope that Qatar will become a top export destination in the future among the other important Hungarian companies thanks to this significant governmental support.
HE the Hungarian Ambassador also told QNA that the level of Qatari investment in Hungary is significantly below potential, and that Hungary wishes to attract more Qatari capital, stressing that the signing of an investment protection agreement could give a new impetus to the investment cooperation.
“We are interested in Qatar becoming a strategic investor in Hungary, among others in the field of air transport,” He said, noting that there are important investment opportunities in the Hungarian real estate, hotel, manufacturing sectors and other fields due to the potential in the Hungarian economy.
About the shared vision of Hungary and Qatar towards international issues, HE the Ambassador emphasized that sovereign nations, like Hungary and Qatar, should unite and coordinate their positions more effectively in an increasingly complex and dangerous world. “We appreciate that Qatar, like Hungary,” is in favour of immediate peace in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, he said.
HE Ambassador of Hungary to the State of Qatar Ferenc Korom also commended the State of Qatar’s successful efforts in mediating between Iran, the US and EU in order to finalize the multilateral nuclear agreement which would be a significant step towards peace and stability, considering the State of Qatar’s active involvement in many issues with high importance for European security necessitates close cooperation between Hungary and Qatar which his country highly appreciates.
Source: Qatar News Agency