Viktor Orbán has made a historic visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the past two days, marking the first time a Hungarian prime minister has officially visited the increasingly influential Gulf nation. During his visit, Orbán met with UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed to discuss bilateral relations in key areas, including energy, security, counterterrorism, trade, and more.

‘Today, the United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s most important financial, commercial, and transport centres. There is fierce competition for economic and investment opportunities here, from New York to Paris to Beijing,’ Orbán stated in a post on his Facebook page. The Hungarian prime minister added that Hungary has entered this competition, which will lead to rising wages and a stronger middle class.

Following the meeting, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó highlighted the rapid development of bilateral economic relations, noting that trade between Hungary and the UAE reached half a billion dollars last year. This time, an agreement was reached to expand cooperation into new sectors.

‘Inter-company cooperation is now being launched in the fields of oil and gas production, energy, and renewable energy. In addition, there is a mutual commitment to strengthening ties in the banking sector, the digital industry, telecommunications, and the defence industry,’ Szijjártó stated. He also highlighted that cooperation in the food industry will continue to expand as planned.