The Hungarian government has signed a security cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates to promote the fight against terrorism.
Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, signed the agreement with his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
Minister Szijjártó told MTI that in line with the agreement Hungary and the UAE will coordinate their anti-terrorism efforts and inform each other on actions taken.
The foreign minister said the UAE is a very important player in the stability of the Middle East because many terrorist organizations are trying to set foot on its territory and if they succeed it could also pose a danger to Europe.
He said efforts by the UAE are critically important in the fight against terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. He added that Hungary, too, is dedicated to the fight against terrorism, as demonstrated by the 200 Hungarian soldiers fighting against IS in Iraq and the country’s involvement in several NATO missions.
Minister Szijjártó said he had also signed a cooperation agreement under which the Emirates Diplomatic Academy and the Hungarian Foreign Affairs Institute will launch and exchange program for young diplomats.
What’s more, the minister highlighted that there are plenty of untapped opportunities in bilateral economic cooperation with the annual trade turnover totaling only US$210 million.
The minister said Hungarian companies have excellent opportunities for business deals in water management, food production and machine engineering. To help finance bilateral economic cooperation, Hungary has opened a 840 million euro credit line with Eximbank, he concluded.