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Within the framework of Qatar’s policy principles of building bridges and establishing the strongest ties and relations with brotherly and friendly countries and peoples of the world, His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in the capital, Budapest, today on an official visit to Hungary at the invitation of the friendly Hungarian President, His Excellency Katalin Novak.
During the visit, His Highness the Emir will meet with His Excellency President Katalin Novak, His Excellency Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and a number of senior Hungarian officials to discuss strengthening the cooperative relations between the two countries in various fields, in addition to discussing the most prominent regional and international issues of mutual concern.
It is expected that His Royal Highness’s visit to Hungary and the discussions held during it will help support and strengthen relations between the two countries in various fields, especially in the areas of trade, economy, investment and energy.
His Highness the Emir’s visit to Hungary reflects the strong desire of the leaders of the two countries to strengthen and develop bilateral relations, push the relationship to new areas and broader horizons, and promote the continuous development of cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries, which is in line with the common interests and aspirations of the two countries.
The relations between the two countries are based on the solid values of respect, mutual trust, political and economic cooperation and common interests. The two countries have a common and firm belief in the importance of maintaining international peace and stability, resolving disputes through dialogue and peaceful means, and in this context play an active and influential role at the regional and international levels.
The relationship between Qatar and Hungary is close and outstanding at all levels, having developed significantly over the years and has been deepened by official visits between the two countries and organized through a series of agreements and memoranda of understanding. The memorandums of understanding signed by the two countries cover cooperation in the fields of politics, commerce, industry, culture, arts and tourism, sports and youth, air services, avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion, energy, economy, commerce, education, higher education and scientific research.
Qatar and Hungary established relations in 1990, with diplomatic relations established at the non-resident embassy level, and the opening of the resident embassy of the State of Qatar in Budapest at the end of 2004. There have been constant mutual visits. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the level of relations between the two countries has been continuously improved and was consolidated after the important official visit of the Emir His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to Hungary on June 12, 2002. His Highness was received by the then Hungarian President Mr. Ferenc Mader, during which several agreements were signed.
This is the first visit of the President of Hungary to the State of Qatar, following the visit of the former President of Hungary, His Excellency Janusz Ader, to the State of Qatar in May 2014, during which the two countries held official talks at the Emir Diwan. During the meeting, the delegation of Qatar, headed by His Highness the Emir, and the delegation of the Republic of Hungary, headed by His Excellency President Ader, reviewed the bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries and the ways of developing them in various fields, and signed a cooperation agreement between the two governments in the fields of education, higher education and scientific research.
In recent years, the Prime Minister of Hungary, His Excellency Viktor Orbán, has visited the State of Qatar several times, the most recent of which was the visit of His Highness the Emir of the country and His Excellency the Prime Minister of Hungary in May last year. The two sides held official discussions at the Emir Diwan, discussing various aspects of development cooperation between the two countries, especially in the economic and investment fields, and exchanged views on the most prominent developments of mutual interest in the region and internationally.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency, Mr. Viktor Orban stressed that Qatar is keen to establish a strategic partnership with the State of Qatar in various fields, given the growing cooperation between the two countries in the field of international security. He said that the relations between Qatar and Hungary have been developing steadily for nearly two decades, and the two countries are keen to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields to serve the interests of the two peoples and have identified a number of representative strategic areas of cooperation. The priorities of the two sides in the next stage include energy, agriculture and infrastructure, especially air transport, as well as cooperation in the security and military fields, adding that cooperation in the energy field is extremely important for Hungary, which is committed to purchasing Qatari liquefied natural gas after 2026. His Excellency the Prime Minister of Hungary said that agricultural cooperation is a valuable opportunity for the two friendly countries and strengthens Qatar’s efforts in the field of food security. Infrastructure His current focus is on the field of air transport, and said that the two countries are currently discussing the possibility of attracting Qatari investment in this field, especially airports.
The mutual visits at all levels between Qatar and Hungary and the agreements signed have helped to bring the two countries’ business communities and investors closer together. Last July, the Hungarian capital of Budapest hosted the third meeting of the Qatar-Hungary Joint Economic Committee, which was chaired by His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qasim Al Thani, Minister of Trade and Industry. During his work at the committee, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjártó focused on cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, maritime transport, civil aviation, health, education and information technology. The two sides agreed to take the necessary measures to advance the process of consolidating trade and investment cooperation between the two countries in order to increase the volume of trade between the two countries and facilitate the flow of goods, services and investments between the two countries.
Last March, the Qatari and Hungarian foreign ministries held a round of political consultations in Budapest, Hungary. The Qatari side was headed by His Excellency Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Hungarian side was headed by His Excellency Mr. Tamas Mensel, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Bilateral Relations and Trade. During the political consultations, the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and ways to support and strengthen the cooperation between the two countries were reviewed.
The prospects for future cooperation between the two countries are very bright, especially both sides are interested in developing economic and trade relations and exploring broader prospects for internal trade. Qataris see Hungary as a leading investment destination, especially in the automotive sector. There is also a good investment environment in the fields of industry, chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure projects, agriculture, etc., which is also a catalyst for the establishment of Qatar-Hungary joint projects. Budapest is very interested in promoting business development. For Qatari investors, the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also supports the existence of joint projects. In return, the Qatari market is full of opportunities for cooperation between the two sides, especially considering the incentives it offers. Especially in the fields of industry, agriculture, tourism and other fields, Qatar’s investment environment is encouraging, with laws, legislation and procedures conducive to the development and practice of business, and advanced infrastructure at the highest level. There are many opportunities in free zones and industrial areas.
Hungary is located in Central Europe, in the Carpathian Mountains basin. It has a continental climate and is a closed country surrounded by the sea and seven countries. It has a population of 9.7 million and an area of about 93,000 square kilometers. Forests cover about 20% of the land. The most important river divides Hungary in half and has the largest natural lake. Platon, located in Eastern Europe, has an area of 596 square kilometers and is considered one of the most important tourist destinations in Hungary, with about 300,000 tourists visiting every year.
The disintegration of the former Soviet Union and its affiliated Eastern European socialist state system constituted a fundamental turning point in the political and economic policies of successive Hungarian governments. The market economy defeated the planned economy, and trade and economy were liberalized both internally and externally.
The Hungarian economy is currently dominated by the service sector, which accounts for two-thirds of the GDP, followed by industry, which accounts for 24 percent, followed by agriculture and construction, with the automotive industry and related industries occupying a leading position in the country. In the industrial field, some German and Japanese companies have made large investments in this field.
After the transition process was launched, foreign investment, especially Western investment, immediately began to flow into Hungary, with a cumulative value of more than 80 billion euros to date.
Hungary is actively seeking to attract more foreign investment, especially since it is rich in many natural wealth resources, the most important of which are: bauxite, coal, iron ore, manganese, natural gas and oil. It exports machinery, equipment and agricultural products. It also mainly imports fuel and mineral raw materials.
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