The Hungarian Foreign Minister was in London on Wednesday for talks with his UK counterpart, David Cameron, discussing the war in Ukraine, migration, and energy issues. Péter Szijjártó also participated in a panel discussion at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, arguing, among other things, for the need to replace the Brussels leadership.
On Wednesday Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held telephone talks. The discussion focused on promoting bilateral relations and the ongoing war in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy inviting Orbán to the Global Peace Summit scheduled to take place in June.
Despite minimal action from the Polish government under Donald Tusk, the European Commission has chosen to conclude the Article 7 procedure against Poland. This serves as another clear example of the double standards that Brussels applies to member states.
Despite the increasingly hawkish rhetoric from President Emmanual Macron of France, the French Ambassador to Russia did attend President Vladimir Putin’s fifth inauguration. So did Ambassador Konkoly of Hungary, and the envoys of four other EU countries as well.
Hungary and Armenia had severed diplomatic ties with each other in 2012 over an extradition scandal. Relations were re-established in December 2022. Now, the two sides have agreed to open embassies in each other’s capitals. In addition, Wizzair will soon launch a direct flight between Budapest and Yerevan.
The political director of the Hungarian PM underscored in an interview with public media that the Chinese President’s visit also signifies that Hungary is becoming a key state in the region. He recalled that it has been twenty years since a Chinese president last visited Hungary, and during this time, China has become a superpower and one of the strongest countries economically, in leading positions in numerous technological industries.
It was already known that the Hungarian duo was in a qualifying position, but the right to compete became official on Tuesday, when the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) published the list of quota doubles.
Conservative Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek’s speech at CPAC Hungary 2024 discussing the demographic changes in Europe was removed for a ‘hate speech’ violation on YouTube. On X, however, the speech remains, garnering over 50 million views in a week.
The aim of the HU-rizont programme is to facilitate and strengthen the international collaboration of outstanding Hungarian researchers. A total of 8 billion forints are available for the application this year. During the application process, not only the research costs of Hungarian universities are covered, but also those of foreign universities are supported.
Peter Szijjártó emphasized during the event held at the Millenáris Park that the current leadership of the European Union, the liberals, have caused significant damage to Europe with their misguided sanction policies and by reinforcing and promoting a war psychosis, affecting the daily lives of European citizens.
Márton Nagy stated that Hungary’s satellite manufacturing capability is not only an economic and security matter but also a question of sovereignty. He noted that the sector has a bright future ahead as the space industry is one of the world’s fastest-growing and, according to international surveys, most resilient industries, with its value projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, up from $630 billion in 2023.
The survey, conducted in the April–May period, reveals that 82 per cent of the total population, or four out of every five Hungarians, consider the declaration of an immediate ceasefire to be the most appropriate course of action.
There are 3.13 million mothers in Hungary who have given birth to a total of 6.22 million children during their lifetime, meaning that Hungarian mothers have two children on average. Since the early 2000s, about three-quarters of adult women are mothers. Compared to 2011, the average number of children in the 20–35 age group has increased slightly (from 1.67 to 1.72), while among mothers aged 45–49 there are now 10,000 more large families, i.e. those with three or more children, than in 2011.
During a roundtable discussion organized by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) on Thursday in Budapest, experts dissected Hungary’s role and opportunities within the EU. They agreed that one of the key topics during Hungary’s EU presidency should be the integration of the Western Balkans. They also discussed the war in Ukraine, the Eastern opening, and the bureaucracy in Brussels, among other topics.
During the interview, the Prime Minister remarked that Europe is playing with fire, teetering on the brink between peace and war. He criticized European leaders for two years of indecision regarding strategy and sanctions, drifting not from war towards peace but from peace towards war. He expressed deep concern for the future of Europe, stating it is extremely dangerous.
The new oil deposit has been found by MOL in collaboration with another Hungarian company, O&GD Central Ltd. The new site is currently producing around 1,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
‘Rather than an extremist group exploiting a social media platform to recruit vulnerable people, what took place last week appears to be quite the opposite. Decentralized local communities, far from governmental reach, are utilizing social media platforms to hype themselves up into a state where riotous violence becomes a necessary consequence. The ultimate conclusion to this sad series of events is that Egypt, as a centralized authority, is struggling to monitor these autonomous decentralized social media groups, and therefore these “Islamic vigilantism” incidents may continue to occur.’
State Secretary for Innovation Balázs Hankó reiterated that the John von Neumann Programme focuses on three main areas: healthy living, digitalization, and green transition. The tender has been launched, and all universities are encouraged to apply, he noted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the decree expanding the country’s martial law on 23 April, which, in practice, means the derogation from certain obligations undertaken by the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The new decree also includes limitations on the consular services that Ukrainians can access abroad if their military registration documents are not updated.
The liberal independent mayor of Ferencváros Krisztina Baranyai unveiled a composition depicting the mythical bird Turul, a symbol of Hungarian nationalism, carrying a Mercedes G SUV in bright, prink-red-yellow colours. However, the sculpture was knocked down just two days after being put on display, most likely by fans of the local football club Ferencvárosi TC.
Ursula von der Leyen, in a video message posted on social media, stated: ‘Twenty years ago, our family finally united in a common home.’ She also reminded that Hungary has always been situated in the heart of Europe.
According to former United States ambassador to Budapest David Cornstein, Donald Trump is the only person in the world who can bring an end to the Russo–Ukrainian war. Cornstein also praised Viktor Orbán and the achievements of the Hungarian government.
Speaking in Szolnok, State Secretary for Education Zoltán Maruzsa noted that notebooks are distributed at more than 3,000 distribution points not only in state institutions but also in church, minority, municipal, and foundation schools. In Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County alone 4,499 laptops of the total 193,000 will be handed out at sixty-two distribution points.
Fabrice Leggeri, the ‘guest of honour’ at the event, who served as the director of Frontex from 2015 to 2022 opined that the European Union as a rule attempts to dissuade member states from defending their own borders.
The global credit rating agency expects Hungary’s ‘fiscal slippage’ in 2023 to be temporary, and projects the country’s GDP to grow by 2.6 per cent in 2024, after it shrank by 0.5 per cent in 2023.
At the height of his popularity, ‘shock jock’ Howard Stern was known for having porn actors perform sex acts on his show and routinely engaged in racial humour, even saying the ‘N-word’ on air. Yet President Joe Biden, who has been criticized even by liberal outlets for being unavailable to the press, chose him to finally give a long-form interview.
Speaking to public Kossuth radio at the World Cup held at Ludovika Campus, President of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) Klaus Schormann stated that there is a good chance that Hungary will host the 2027 World Championships. He also discussed the necessity for change and the renewal of the sport, stating that pentathlon should become as widely accessible as possible.
All three distinguished speakers warned of the perils of mass illegal migration into Europe, and stressed nations’ right to self-determination as well on Day 1 of CPAC Hungary 2024.
Donald Trump emphasized that as President, he ‘proudly worked together’ with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to defend the values and interests of both the Hungarian and the American nation.
The recent signing of a military and defence industry cooperation agreement between Hungary and the United Arab Emirates introduces a new dimension to their bilateral relations. Hungary’s status as a NATO member, combined with the UAE’s robust partnership with the alliance, suggests that this agreement may lead to a more pronounced role for Hungary in security collaborations between NATO and the Gulf region.