The foreign minister said relations between Hungary and Israel appear promising in the year ahead.
After meeting Eli Cohen for the first time in his new capacity as foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook that they had worked together previously, when Cohen was responsible for economic affairs. “I congratulated him on Likud’s election win, for which we were great cheerleaders,” Szijjártó said, adding that they also underlined the importance of the two countries’ strategic alliance and friendship. The Hungarian minister told his counterpart that Hungary would carry on doing its utmost to ensure that Israel does not have to contend with unjust attacks or unfair treatment in international forums, and he pledged that Hungary would not ever vote for “anti-Israel resolutions”. Szijjártó said he was “proud” to have been the only European foreign minister present in Washington, DC when the Abraham Accords were signed a few years ago, and he reaffirmed Hungary’s support, saying the accords were the first sign of hope in decades that peace could be within reach in the Middle East. Szijjártó also said: “Hungary’s Jewish community and the Hungarian diaspora in Israel unite us”. The ministers also agreed to pursue economic, investment and technological cooperation.