Israeli President Herzog’s Budapest visit: key diplomatic talks with Hungarian leaders 🔄

Israel can continue to rely on Hungary’s support in the international arena, President Tamás Sulyok said after talks with his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, in Budapest on Tuesday.

President Sulyok’s speech

Sulyok added that, in the European Union, Hungary promoted “a cooperation-centred position”.

In a statement, the president said Hungary “most firmly condemns anti-Semitism and applies zero tolerance to any of its manifestations”. He added that this was among the priorities of Hungary’s EU presidency last year.

It is important that Hungary’s Jewish communities should feel safe, “especially in light of what has recently been seen in Europe”, the president said. Hungary is committed to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive for future generations, Sulyok said in his statement. Sulyok thanked his guest for his visit “in this extraordinary, tense situation”. He said they saw eye to eye on issues such as the security of borders, as well as issues around national sovereignty and identity.

“I am convinced that a strong Israel is not only crucial for the security of the Middle East but for that of Europe, too, as well as for the protection of European Jews and in the fight against anti-Semitism,” the president added.

Hungary, as on earlier occasions, condemns Hamas’s “brutal terrorist attack and military aggression, inhuman treatment of hostages and using people as human shields,” Sulyok said.

Dialogue between Hungary and Israel “is uninterrupted”, and there are no problematic or open questions between them, the president said, adding that strategic cooperation in the areas of research and development, the defence industry, and education and culture could be further deepened.

The president said he trusted that Hungary’s friendly relations with Israel could be maintained.

President Herzog’s speech

Herzog thanked Hungary for its support of Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Hungary, he said, had shown “deep friendship” towards Israel, which it was “refusing to break in the midst of the anti-Zionism, anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism flooding the world”.

Hungary’s efforts were “clear” in connection with “the International Criminal Court’s decision against Israel” and other international institutions, he said. Hungary has also stood up for Israel’s right to bring home the hostages kidnapped in the Gaza strip, he said. “These are the moments when true friendship shows.”