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© Mohammed AldosariThese agreements include enhanced bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, investment, agriculture, sports, youth, and energy
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in Budapest on 20 August for talks with Hungarian President Katalin Novak, which resulted in the signing several bi-lateral agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOU).

The Qatari Emir traveled with a delegation, including Doha's Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lolwah al-Khater, and the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani.

According to a statement from Qatar's Foreign Ministry, Doha's Emir participated in bilateral talks with the Hungarian President to bolster relations in the fields of economy, investment, and energy.

The two countries signed an MOU in environmental protection and diplomatic training, on top of signing agreements in the fields of agriculture, sports, and youth sectors.

Last week, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto affirmed that Budapest and Doha reached "a political agreement" for Qatar to provide Hungary with liquified natural gas (LNG) beginning in 2027.

Demand for LNG has skyrocketed since the western states imposed additional sanctions on Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since that time, Qatar and the US have played a more significant role in supplying natural gas to European countries such as Hungary who have seen their access to Russian gas reduced or eliminated completely by sanctions.


Comment: Channel News Asia reports that Hungary actually continues to receive 'a large proportion of its gas' via the TurkStream pipeline:

Further, what with Hungary's rejection of the West's anti-Russia sanctions, and its recent meeting with Turkey where it was discussed how to ensure the continued supply of energy products from Moscow, it's notable that Budapest is further securing its countries energy needs in this meeting with Qatar; and the West's absence and its nefarious influence at these meetings is telling: Türkiye's Erdogan in Hungary to talk with Orban about continuation of Russian energy supplies, Sweden NATO membership


During Emir Tamim's visit to the Eastern European state, he also met with the President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on the sidelines of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Since the start of 2022, Qatar has sought to bolster relations with countries outside of the West Asia region to diversify its economy.

As example, earlier this month, the Qatari government began its construction of 500,000 residential units in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kaduna, as part of its Mega Economic City project.

Also this month, India's largest natural gas provider, GAIL, and the Qatari government reached the final stages of an agreement that would see Doha supply New Delhi with 1 million metric tonnes of LNG per year.