Egypt and Hungary ink new deals as leaders seek closer ties

Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban has thanked Egypt for its role in capping Europe-bound migration as the two countries inked a series of preliminary agreements in Cairo.

Orban's praise for Egypt, and its president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, came during his visit to the Egyptian capital in which the two governments signed various memorandums of understanding in nuclear cooperation, education and sports. Few further details were immediately given about the deals.

In a joint media conference following the signings, Orban spoke of a need to reduce East-West divisions in Europe. In return, Sissi praised Orban's understanding of the region, describing the relationship between Egypt and Hungary as a "role model."

"We don't want the world to be populated by homeless migrants who have been separated from their homeland," Orban said, according to Hungarian state media. ''For its work, Europe owes Egypt its thanks, respect and support."

Populist Orban is an outspoken opponent of immigration in Europe. He has said that non-European migrants threaten to replace the continent's Christian culture and are responsible for bringing diseases like COVID-19 variants into Hungry.

Sissi's government has in recent years upgraded border security, preventing the North African country from becoming a major departure point for Europe-bound migrants like neighboring Libya. Orban made similar praises of Egypt's capping of European-bound migration in a visit he made to Cairo last year.

In a tweet posted after the media conference, Orban said both countries were on the "side of peace" regarding the Ukraine conflict.

Orban, widely seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest EU ally, has spoken out strongly against several rounds of EU sanctions against Moscow, arguing that they've done little to stop the war and have hurt European economies more than Russia.

Egypt, like several other Arab countries, has remained neutral in the conflict despite pressure from its western allies. The Egyptian economy has been hit hard by the war. The cash-strapped North African country is the world's largest importer of wheat with most of its imports having traditionally come from eastern Europe.

Relations between Egypt and Hungary have remained strong since Sissi came to power in 2013.