President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar at the Hungarian parliament in Budapest on Friday, during an official visit to Hungary, the Egyptian presidency said.
Magyar welcomed Sisi on his arrival and briefed him on Holy Crown of Hungary, a symbol of the state and governance, the presidency’s spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy said. The two leaders then greeted their delegations and held bilateral and expanded talks.
Magyar welcomed the visit and said Hungary valued its strategic partnership with Egypt and was keen to develop ties and strengthen co-operation across various fields, in the interests of both countries and their peoples.
Sisi thanked Magyar for the invitation and praised the reception, saying bilateral relations were steadily developing. He called for further ties at both the bilateral level and within the framework of the strategic partnership between Egypt and the European Union.
At a joint news conference after the talks, Sisi congratulated Magyar on taking office and wished him and his government success. He also extended congratulations to the Hungarian people on the anniversary of the October 23, 1956 revolution, saying it represented their pride in freedom and national identity.
Sisi said Egypt and Hungary had maintained historical ties, longstanding friendship and a broad strategic partnership despite political changes and changes of government.
He cited Hungarian architect Max Herz Pasha, who helped preserve and restore Islamic and Coptic monuments and protect part of Cairo’s historic architectural heritage in the early 20th century, as an example of co-operation extending beyond politics and economics to culture, knowledge and shared heritage.
The two countries were looking to make 2028, the centenary of diplomatic relations, a landmark in their co-operation, Sisi said.
He said he had invited Hungary’s president and prime minister to visit Egypt for the occasion, to broaden the strategic partnership and establish practical foundations for new areas of cooperation.
The talks covered economic and investment ties, which Sisi said had developed markedly in recent years. The two sides agreed to begin exploratory discussions on how to make use of Egypt’s capabilities in energy infrastructure, gas transport networks and facilities for receiving and re-exporting liquefied natural gas, subject to relevant technical and commercial studies.
They also discussed links between business institutions and opportunities for Hungarian businesses in Egypt, including the country’s strategic location, large market, transport networks and ports, and trade agreements providing access to regional and international markets.
Sisi highlighted Egypt’s special economic zones, particularly the Suez Canal Economic Zone, which he said offered investors infrastructure for industrial, logistics and export projects, access to African and Arab markets, and a hub for integration between supply chains in different regions.
He praised Magyar’s vision for reviving the Visegrád Group and strengthening its role among Central European countries, describing the Visegrád Plus format as an important channel for engagement with countries of the Global South.
Egypt sought to strengthen communication with the group’s members to open new opportunities for economic and investment partnerships, he said.
The leaders also discussed co-operation within Egypt’s strategic relationship with the European Union, including shared concerns over irregular migration, terrorism, border security and the security of international trade routes. Sisi described these issues as key to security and stability in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
On regional and international issues, Sisi said the security of the Middle East was linked to Europe’s security. He said lasting peace in the region required a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue based on a two-state solution, with an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines and East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside Israel living in peace and security.
Egypt categorically rejected attempts to alter the demographic or geographic reality in Gaza and the West Bank, or to deprive Palestinians of their rights or displace them from their land, Sisi said, warning of severe consequences, including for Europe.
He called for international efforts to ease the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, ensure unimpeded humanitarian aid and create conditions for a serious political process to end the prolonged conflict and achieve a just and lasting peace.
The leaders also discussed developments in Sudan, the Horn of Africa and Somalia, and the challenges they posed to regional and international security and stability. Sisi said respect for states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, and adherence to international law, were essential to stability.
On Ukraine, Sisi reiterated Egypt’s position in favour of political solutions, de-escalation and respect for international law and the United Nations Charter. Egypt would continue efforts to support a political settlement, he said.
Sisi added he was confident bilateral relations would develop further in the coming period and that the 2028 centenary would provide a starting point for broader co-operation. He thanked Magyar and said he looked forward to advancing ties in the interests of both peoples and in support of shared stability and prosperity.
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