Szijjártó said on Facebook that he had set out from the conference centre in Doha “to meet my good friend Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani, but by the time I arrived, I was met by Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani, as his first guest, around five minutes after he took his oath.”

From now on, Qatari-Hungarian cooperation will have a supporter at the highest level, Szijjártó said.

“We now have even better prospects for obtaining LNG gas from Qatar,” he said, adding that this would contribute to Hungary’s energy security in the foreseeable future. The minister also congratulated Qatar on its success in hosting the 2022 World Cup.

Hungary 'Supporting Least Developed Countries'

Hungary is ready to continue taking a fair share in supporting the world's least developed countries to strengthen their stability and prevent future waves of migration, the foreign minister said in Qatar on Tuesday.

Péter Szijjártó told a UN conference in Doha that the negative effects of the war in neighbouring Ukraine directly affected Hungary, the ministry said in a statement.

Though regional, the war’s consequences are felt around the world, he added. He said the war highlighted the fragility of the existing international system, with serious challenges appearing in global food and energy supplies which could lead to security risks.

“Food shortages and increasing energy prices could lead to serious security risks in countries that have a low level of development and lack stability,” he said. This could easily lead to the spread of extreme ideologies and a growing sense of danger, which are among the main triggers of mass illegal migration, he said.

Europe faces serious security risks from the east, and it would barely handle a challenge from the south in the form of increased illegal migration, he added. “In the light of the war in Ukraine, it is more important than ever to support the least developed countries to prevent further mass waves of illegal migration,” he said.

Szijjártó: Hungary to Issue $250 Million Credit Line for Least Developed Countries

Hungary has announced 250 million dollars-worth of aid credit to improve the situation in water management, health care and food security, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a UN conference in Doha on Tuesday.

Hungary is ready to maintain its contribution to these efforts and support all UN and European Union initiatives aiming to increase support for the affected countries with a view to enhancing their stability, he said.

He cited among past government measures a 760 million US dollar credit line by Eximbank to the least developed countries in order to promote cooperation.

The coronavirus pandemic has posed a huge challenge to poorer countries, and Hungary has contributed 1.7 million doses of vaccine to help protect the globe, he said.

Considering that vaccine stocks are still abundant, Hungary is ready to increase this contribution, he added. Additionally, Hungary has supported Christian communities in the affected countries with around 8 million US dollars through 65 projects, he said.

“As a country with one thousand years of Christian statehood, we feel responsibility for Christian communities in need around the world,” he added.