Bennett speaks with Hungary’s Orban for first time
“It is my privilege to reconfirm our commitment to the safety and security of Israel and our support for Israel against the biased and unfair approach in the international arena,” Orban wrote.
By LAHAV HARKOVUpdated: JANUARY 10, 2022 21:43Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban(photo credit: REUTERS)
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Hungarian President Viktor Orban spoke on the phone for the first time on Monday.Bennett thanked Orban for his strong support for Israel.The sides agreed to continue cooperation between their countries and to stay in contact, the Prime Minister’s Office stated.
Orban penned a letter to Bennett in June, wishing him congratulations on becoming prime minister.“It is my privilege to reconfirm our commitment to the safety and security of Israel and our support for Israel against biased and unfair approaches in the international arena,” Orban wrote. “The close cooperation between Hungary and Israel was solidified in the past years, and I look forward to continuing that with your newly established government.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discusses COVID-19 vaccine cooperation withHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu cultivated ties with Visegrad countries – Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia – and had an enthusiastic partner in Orban, under whom Hungary vetoed EU statements that were critical of Israel.Orban has championed “illiberal democracy,” while Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has sought to emphasize that Israel is a liberal democracy and align it with like-minded countries. Lapid also criticized Orban when the foreign minister was an opposition lawmaker.However, Lapid was set to visit Budapest last year to meet with his Hungarian counterpart. The trip was canceled because of the efforts to free the Israeli couple jailed in Turkey for photographing a presidential residence.
