The event featuring exhibitions, presentations by Arabic artists, concerts and food was opened by House Speaker László Kövér. Kövér in his address said Hungarians’ links with the Arab world and culture go back to the time preceding the founding of the Hungarian state.



The intensity of maintaining ties received new impetus with the government launching its policy of opening to the south after 2010, he said.

“Economic mixed committees have been reformed, we have developed a network of attachés covering the entire region and we have launched the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship scheme,” said Kövér.

Some 3,308 Arab students study in Hungary on scholarships and they represent 31% of all students in the Stipendium Hungaricum scheme, he added. Economic relations represent the main area of cooperation, the speaker said.



Hungary’s exports to Arabic countries exceeded 1 billion dollars in each of the past six years and Hungarian imports from these countries doubled during the period of 2016-2018, he added. “It is our common interest to further enliven foreign trade,” he said.

Learning about each other’s values is a tool for this and culture and education play an important role in this process, he added.



Ambassador of Morocco Karima Kabbaj said culture plays a key role in the cooperation of nations and in maintaining their relations in the long term. She added that Hungarian and Arab culture have maintained a harmonious relationship for a very long time.

She expressed thanks to the Hungarian government for its position on Arab affairs, especially in efforts aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The ambassador also expressed thanks for the scholarships Hungary has offered to Arab students.


MTI Photo: Zsolt Szigetváry