Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Sjärto affirmed that there is a new dimension of cooperation between the State of Qatar and Hungary in light of the ongoing negotiations between Qatar Energy Company and the Hungarian Electricity Company, and that Qatari gas is expected to be part of the Hungarian energy mix in 2026. His Excellency said in an interview with Al-Sharq said that there are many areas for cooperation between Budapest and Doha, such as investing in digitization, the economy based on information technology, and the electric car industry. Pointing out that the relationship between the two countries is based on mutual respect and focus on joint work and cooperation. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary praised the Qatari role in calling for peaceful dialogue, resolving disputes, and contributing to supporting international cooperation and assisting the least developed countries. The following is the text of the interview with the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs:
How do you find the importance of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in supporting development and international cooperation? The main objective of our participation is to provide substantial support to the least developed countries, because we are well aware of the serious impact and negative repercussions of the war on Ukraine, which affected the world and caused a number of problems such as the energy crisis, the imbalance in supplies and food security.. All these current challenges have caused enormous pressure on A number of countries, especially the least developed ones, are now facing a greater threat of instability in light of difficulties in providing energy and food, which may result in a series of crises that may pose serious challenges. Consequently, these countries could become sources of more huge waves of migration, and this is something we would like to avoid, and the European Union countries may not be able to confront it.
What support did Hungary provide to these countries? The international community should provide support and assistance to the least developed countries like us, as Hungary has allocated a credit line of $760 million to enhance economic cooperation with companies in the least developed countries. In addition, we announced $250 million in aid programs to improve water management, health and food security, and we allocated 715 scholarships for these countries, which is a very popular program with 9,991 applications from these countries. We have also provided 1.7 million doses of COVID vaccines and are implementing 65 projects worth $8 million to support Christian communities in these countries. 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.
As a member of the European Union, what are the issues that most need to be involved in the region? We take it very seriously to help these countries and will continue to increase our support for programs contributing to the resolution of pressing issues across the European Union and the United Nations. As a neighbor of Ukraine, we suffer from the direct effects of this war and live through major difficult challenges. Like the rest of the world, we suffer from massive inflation and a rise in energy prices, which increased by 10 billion euros in just one year due to European sanctions. As a result of the war, we received more than 1.1 million refugees from Ukraine, and we host them well. We provided a place for refugee children in 1,247 schools and nurseries..At this time, the most important issue is establishing peace and activating international cooperation mechanisms in order to overcome economic and social crises and achieve development.
How do you see the role of Doha in achieving peace and international cooperation? 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. Regarding the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, we urge a cease-fire and the start of talks as soon as possible, and we do not support the sanctions policy either. We have clear experience that sanctions are harmful to everyone, and we do not remember any sanctions policy in the history of the European Union that was successful. Therefore, this rational and realistic approach based on a sound vision for the State of Qatar is very important. We find that Qatar is a strong and important country and it has become more important in terms of its role in achieving the safety of global energy supplies.
What about international cooperation and support for the least developed countries? We hope that the international community can put in place substantial programs to empower these countries. We appreciate the role of the State of Qatar in hosting this international conference and providing tremendous support for these international efforts, which is very important. We realize that Qatar takes the matter seriously to help these countries, and we will continue to increase the rehabilitation programs for these countries in the coming period. Q: How do you assess the relations between Qatar and Hungary? The relationship between the two countries is based on mutual respect, and we share with the State of Qatar respect for the sovereignty of states, non-interference in internal affairs, and focus on joint work and cooperation for the benefit of all. Today, we do not need judges and lecturers in international politics. We must respect the specificities of each country and work with it as a partner in development and projects. Qatar has become an important country on the international level and is distinguished by its rational and impartial stance, which is appreciated by us.
Is there economic cooperation between Doha and Budapest and in what areas? There is a new dimension of cooperation between the two countries. We started talks for cooperation in the field of energy some time ago.. I was here in Doha last December for discussions in this regard. There are ongoing negotiations between the Qatar Energy Company and the Hungarian Electricity Company responsible for purchasing gas in order to see any possible horizon for the gas to be Qatar is part of the Hungarian energy mix.. If the negotiations succeed, the Qatari shipments will be received in the second half of this decade, i.e. in 2026. We will be very happy with this important energy cooperation for the two countries and we will work to strengthen it, and we are also working to achieve cooperation in water management, as a number of Of the Hungarian companies in many projects in Doha in the field of infrastructure and agriculture. We are also working together to sign an agreement on mutual protection of investments, which will be implemented soon.
Is there cooperation in other promising sectors? There are many areas for cooperation, and Qatar is invited to invest in them, including digitization and the economy based on information technology, and we all know that Qatar has a lot of interest and projects in this field. It is also possible to cooperate in the manufacture of electric cars. We have the fourth largest capacity in the world in terms of manufacturing electric vehicle battery cells. More and more large companies, mostly Chinese and Korean, are moving to Hungary to build large electric transmission facilities.
What are the incentives offered by your country to encourage Qatari investors? We have one of the lowest tax rates in Europe, the corporate income tax rate of 9% is the lowest in Europe. Secondly, we enjoy political stability and we have made important improvements in infrastructure in addition to that our higher education system has become a very high level of scientific standards and provides a qualified, skilled and up-to-date workforce, and Hungary is strategically located and located in the heart of Europe, through which access to 124 countries. There are Qatari investments in our country in the field of real estate and tourism, and we are working to attract more investments.
What is your position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict? We call for an immediate ceasefire, peace through dialogue, and a sustainable agreement. Now, we realize that this position is a very small minority in Europe but a majority in a global perspective. So we are part of the global pro-peace majority that we hope will drown out the loud voices of escalation and war in Europe and across the Atlantic. We see that entering into the competition has no consequence other than sliding into a bigger war and delivering more weapons to Ukraine for a longer period will complicate the situation even more. It is not widely known that there are Hungarians dying in this war also because we have a large Hungarian community living in Ukraine. Yes, we have a number of refugees but there are 150,000 Hungarians living in Ukraine and because they are Ukrainian citizens, they are conscripted into the Ukrainian army and many of them die unfortunately, so when we urge for peace, we do this in order to avoid more victims. We don’t want more people to die in this war, it’s very dangerous and that’s why we want it to end. That is why we do not hand over arms but argue for peace.
Are there upcoming joint visits and events? We are pleased to work and coordinate with the State of Qatar. During our meeting with His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, we were invited to the Doha Economic Forum, and we are very grateful for that, and we are working to make the visit fruitful. We are also working on organizing a series of joint visits and events, and we hope that our very good relations with His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will be a positive factor to push bilateral relations to better levels.
