Hungary is expected to announce on Tuesday the opening of a trade office in Jerusalem following meetings between visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to senior Hungarian officials, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post.
Slovakian Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, meanwhile, announced that his country will open an information office for culture and technology in the capital.
With this move, Hungary and Slovakia will join Bulgaria and the Czech Republic which have opened some kind of delegation in Jerusalem, though not an embassy. Australia, which recognized west Jerusalem as Israel's capital last month, has also announced an intention to open a trade embassy in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu met Tuesday morning in Jerusalem with Orban, as well as with the prime ministers of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, even though Poland cancelled its participation in what was to be a formal summit of the Visegrad Group – Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Netanyahu, in a photo opportunity with the visiting Czech and Slovakian prime ministers, did not address the diplomatic crisis with Poland.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, asked at a photo opportunity whether he was disappointed that Poland decided not to participate, said “I'm sure that Israel and Poland will continue cooperation.”
This was Babis' first visit to Israel, and he and Netanyahu announced that the two countries will hold a government-to-government meetings later this year in Prague. Before meeting Netanyahu, Babis – whose country has a thriving auto industry – visited the Mobileye plant in Jerusalem.