Hungary built a vocational training centre in Lebanon

Tristan Azbej, Hungary’s state secretary in charge of aiding persecuted Christians, and Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, inaugurated a cultural and vocational training centre built in part from funds contributed by the Hungarian government in Lebanon on Friday.

The Hungarian government contributed 2.2 billion dollars to the construction of the cultural and vocational training centre that will serve the “revival” of the local Christian community, Azbej told MTI by phone. In addition to supporting the Middle Eastern and Lebanese Christian community, the project also serves Hungary’s political interests, the state secretary said.

Lebanon is caring for some 2 million refugees, Azbej said, adding that if the humanitarian crisis there were to deepen, the refugees would likely flee the country, thereby increasing the flow of illegal migrants towards Europe.

He said it was therefore in Hungary’s strategic interest to support and strengthen the local community and protect the region’s Christian heritage.

The government’s Hungary Helps aid programme is aimed at both helping persecuted Christians in the Middle East and stemming the flow of migrants to Europe, he noted.