Hungarian minister hails Qatar stance on peaceful dialogue to resolve disputes

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Peter Szijjarto stressed the depth of relations between Hungary and Qatar, which are based on mutual respect through their keenness on the sovereignty of states and non-interference in internal affairs and focus on joint work and co-operation for the benefit of all.He noted that Qatar has become an important country at the international level and is distinguished by its rational and impartial stance, which is appreciated by Hungary.In an interview with Qatari newspaper Al-Sharq published Sunday, he said: "We very much respect Qatar’s position in calling for peaceful dialogue and conflict resolution, and we believe that it is a position stemming from a very important political sense in international action, and we agree with this policy.”The minister noted the economic co-operation between Doha and Budapest and said that talks for co-operation in the field of energy started some time ago between the two countries, adding that he was here in Doha last December for discussions in this regard. There are ongoing negotiations between QatarEnergy and the Hungarian Power Company responsible for purchasing gas in order to see any possible horizon for the Qatari gas to be part of the Hungarian energy mix, he said. He explained that there is a new dimension of co-operation between Qatar and Hungary in light of the ongoing negotiations between the QatarEnergy and the Hungarian Power Company, and it is expected that Qatari gas will be part of the Hungarian energy mix in 2026.He underlined that there are many areas for co-operation between the two countries, and said Qatar is invited to invest in them, including digitisation and the information technology-based economy, and "we all know that Qatar has a lot of interest and projects in this field. It is also possible to co-operate in the manufacture of electric cars.We have the fourth largest capacity in the world in terms of manufacturing electric vehicle battery cells.”He noted that Hungary has one of the lowest tax rates in Europe, as the corporate income tax rate (CIT) of 9% is the lowest in Europe, and it enjoys political stability. "We have made important improvements in infrastructure in addition to our higher education system’s high level of scientific standards and providing of qualified, skilled and up-to-date workforce,” he said, adding that Hungary enjoys a strategic location and is located in the heart of Europe, with access to 124 countries.There are Qatari investments in Hungary in the field of real estate and tourism, and "we are working to attract more investments,” he noted.Regarding the importance of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in supporting development and international co-operation, which was held in Doha last week, the Hungarian minister considered that the main objective of his country’s participation is to provide substantial support to the least developed countries, because it is well aware of the serious impact and negative repercussions of the war in Ukraine that has affected the world and caused a number of problems such as the energy crisis, the disruption in supplies and food security. He added that all these current challenges have caused enormous pressure on a number of countries, especially the least developed ones, which are facing more threat of instability, in light of the difficulties in providing energy and food, which may produce a series of crises that may pose serious challenges. Therefore these countries could become sources of more huge waves of migration, which is something Hungary would like to avoid, and which the European Union countries may not be able to confront.The international community should provide support and assistance to the least developed countries, as Hungary has allocated a Line of Credit of $760mn to enhance economic co-operation with companies in the least developed countries, and announced $250mn in aid programmes to improve water management, health and food security, in addition to 715 scholarships for these countries, which is a very popular programme with applications from these countries, he said."We believe that we are doing our part, and we hope that the rest of the international community will do its part properly in supporting the least developed countries to overcome difficult challenges,” he added.The Hungarian minister also expressed hope that the international community would be able to put in place substantial programmes to empower these countries, and appreciated the role of Qatar in hosting the international conference and providing support for these efforts. He pointed out that his country realises that Qatar takes the matter seriously to help these countries, and said "we will continue to increase rehabilitation programmes for these countries in the coming period.”