Hungary opens trade representation office in Jerusalem

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - Hungary on Tuesday opened a foreign trade representation office in Jerusalem, according to a statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

The inauguration was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto.

Speaking on the occasion, Netanyahu said it is the first European representation office that opened in Jerusalem in decades.

Israeli prime minister emphasized the significance of the Hungarian role towards changing the European stance towards Jerusalem.

For his part, Szijjarto said: "We always insist that the stance of the international community towards Israel should always be fair and balanced."

The Hungarian diplomatic commercial representation forms a branch of the Hungarian Embassy in Tel Aviv as a part of Hungary's decision to establish a diplomatic office in Jerusalem.

In February, Netanyahu announced that Hungary has decided to open a "diplomatic office" in Jerusalem, making it one of only a handful of countries moving towards the U.S. position on seeing the city as the Israel's capital.

Late in 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump had announced his country’s intention to recognize Jerusalem as the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s capital, drawing condemnation worldwide.

In May 2018, the U.S. carried out the decision, moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Palestinian leadership continues to reject any role for the U.S. in prospective peace talks with Israel over the matter as they continue to seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.