On April 3, 2023, ECFA hosted the Ambassador of Hungary to Cairo, Mr. Andras Kovacs, where he was received by Ambassadors Mohamed Al Orabi and Ezzat Saad, ECFA Chairman and ECFA Director, respectively. The meeting mainly addressed arrangements for the scheduled visit by ECFA delegation to the Hungarian capital, Budapest, from 5 to 7 July 2023, as the delegation is scheduled to visit the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs. ECFA affirmed that it might be useful to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, as well as some parliamentarians and diplomatic attachés of the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy, and to visit some of the scientific and cultural institutions in Budapest.

Regarding the topics that could be discussed during the visit, Ambassador Saad indicated that the focus will be on bilateral relations and current global and regional issues, especially Middle East issues and developments related to the Renaissance Dam, the regional and international impacts of the Ukrainian crisis, Hungary’s vision of various European policies, and Egyptian relations with the “Visegrad” group. The Ambassador commented that they are interested in learning about the Egyptian experience in countering terrorism. In this context, ECFA Director promised to provide the Hungarian side with a detailed agenda on the topics and issues that will be included in the discussions. The meeting also tackled the proposed Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between ECFA and the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, as the two sides expressed their agreement on its content and provisions, and confirmed their intention to sign it during the upcoming meeting.

ECFA also invited the Hungarian Ambassador to meet with ECFA members, during which he would talk about bilateral relations between Egypt and Hungary, Hungarian foreign policy and its visions regarding issues in the Middle East region, which the Hungarian Ambassador welcomed.