Foreign Minister János Martonyi held talks with Silvan Shalom, Minister for Energy and Water Affairs, who represented the Israeli Government at the Assembly of the Jewish World Congress in Budapest.

Minister Shalom expressed his appreciation for the fact that Prime Minister Orbán had given a speech at the opening session of the JWC meeting; he stressed that the Hungarian Prime Minister’s gesture had meant a lot to the Jewish people.

János Martonyi declared that Jews in Hungary were an integral part of the Hungarian nation, and this is considered a great value. The two ministers discussed bilateral issues, particularly opportunities for cooperation in water management. They agreed that the two countries are linked by close and friendly ties, which is reflected in the fact that there is a large Jewish community living in Hungary and that many Israelis have Hungarian origins.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister pointed out that the Hungarian Government welcomed the activities of Israeli investors in Hungary and was looking forward to receiving new investments. Minister Shalom expressed the Israeli party's willingness to further develop bilateral relations in economic, cultural and other areas.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)