Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban underlined the keenness on strengthening the relations between Hungary and Qatar and promoting them to broader horizons to achieve the interests of the two countries.
In an interview with Al-Sharq newspaper issued Sunday, the Prime Minister of Hungary noted the deep-rooted bilateral relations which date back to more than 30 years, pointing to promising real estate investment opportunities in Hungary, in addition to its remarkable tourism resources and cultural heritage.
On the other hand, he praised the Qatar World Cup, describing it as wonderful, distinguished, universal and exceptional in every way. He added that Qatar was able to protect football from slipping into the danger of political interference which had threatened the first popular game in the world.
The Hungarian Prime Minister said that the malicious campaigns that targeted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 were an attempt by some to impose their ideas and cultures on others, while logic imposes respect for others' cultures and laws. He believed that the reasons for these interventions were the result of some perceptions stemming from "colonial" dimensions that seek to dictate their desires and ideas to other countries, which is an incorrect behaviour.
He noted that holding the celebrations of Qatar National Day in conjunction with the World Cup was a brilliant idea, because all the people of the world had shared with the Qatari people their celebration of this occasion.
The Prime Minister of Hungary applauded the outstanding and distinguished organisation of the World Cup, noting that hosting a tournament the size of the World Cup is not only a matter of money, rather requires will, desire and hard work.
He noted that Qatar's preparations were carried out at the highest standard of excellence, which distinguishes this hosting and makes it unique, especially that it took place in an Arab country for the first time.
He added that the Qatar World Cup was universal by all standards, as Morocco emerged as a representative of the African and Arab countries and competed strongly with European teams, and Argentina had the last word in the final match, which means that all peoples of the world had a clear and strong presence in this tournament, giving it inclusiveness and universality.
The Prime Minister of Hungary said that Qatar protected football from slipping into politics, and preserved the game to remain a sporting activity that has nothing to do with politics, saying: "Unfortunately, politics is constantly trying to interfere with sports. We in the European Union are suffering from some political interference. Football is a global game that has nothing to do with politics, and whoever wants to practise politics there are thousands of means for that, so let football stay away from that. Qatar has rejected all forms of political interference in football, and we appreciate and value that."
"Everyone must understand that the world is different, and we must understand and appreciate this difference so that we can cooperate and work on organising joint events, as is the case in football, without seeking to impose our views on others," he stressed.
He noted that there is a very big initiative in education, and expressed the hope that Qatar will participate in it. Through this initiative, more than 25,000 scholarships will be launched for students in Asia, Africa and Arab countries to study in Hungary, he explained.
The Prime Minister underlined that Hungary believes in the importance of achieving stability in the region, noting that instability poses a danger not only to the region, but also to Europe because wars lead to an influx of refugees to Europe.
On the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Prime Minister of Ukraine described what is happening as a tragedy. "No one knows who will win the war, but thousands of people die every year, and no one knows what are the goals of this war or how to stop it. It is a tragedy for the families who pay the price of this war and do not know how to get rid of it," he said.
