Hungarian Conservative

President Novák emphasized that this is Vahagn Khachaturyan’s first official presidential visit to Hungary. She said their discussions covered various topics including peace in the world, Hungarian humanitarian assistance to Armenia, demographic challenges, the importance of bilateral relations, the situation of minorities, and Armenia’s European perspective.

During her meetings, Katalin Novák expressed her support for the EU accession of West Balkan nations, visited the troops of the Hungarian-led EUFOR Althea mission, and discussed Hungary’s family support schemes.

At a gala dinner in Gyula on Thursday, Katalin Novák mentioned that it was in Békés County that, for the first time as part of a county visit, she hosted a foreign head of government outside Budapest. The Moldovan Prime Minister, Dorin Recean, was received at Gyula Castle during his recent visit to Hungary.

Katalin Novák expressed that the greatness of heroes stems from the fact that, in essence, they are not different from us. People who became heroes were sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, individuals grappling with the everyday challenges of life. Their exceptionalism arose from their unwavering commitment to making the right decisions even in the most difficult circumstances, the President pointed out.

In her speech, President Novák of Hungary recalled the most memorable events of 2023, a year ‘when there was reason to rejoice, to be proud,’ including Pope Francis’s visit to Budapest, the Nobel Prize awarded to Katalin Karikó and Ferenc Krausz, the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, and the Hungarian national football team’s qualification as group winners for the European Championship.

This autumn, the Hungarian parliament declared 16 December, the birthday of architect, writer, illustrator, ethnologist and politician Károly Kós, the Day of Hungarian Architecture. The Kós Károly Lifetime Achievement Prize, presented for the first time, was awarded to Sándor Dévényi.

In an interview with a Bács-Kiskun County newspaper, Katalin Novák stressed the importance of making starting a family appealing to young people, the importance of border protection, and her mission to build stronger ties with Hungarian diaspora communities.

At a press conference following her meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President Katalin Novák Novák ruled out the possibility of any ties between Hungary and Russia ‘which could undermine ties with its allies and commitments within NATO as well as in the European Union’.

Katalin Novák met with her Israeli counterpart, President Isaac Herzog, to show her moral support to the recently attacked Israel, as well as for the Hungarian community living in Israel. She also called for the immediate release of hostages, some of whom are of Hungarian ancestry, taken by the Islamist terror group Hamas.

Recent Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó, a Hungarian biochemist living in the United States and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Szeged, stressed to Hungarian news agency MTI that it is not awards that serve as motivation for her research but rather the awareness that people are suffering and solutions must be found to help them.

Katalin Novák stressed that one of the purposes of her visit to Australia was to keep the motherland’s connection with the Hungarian diaspora alive, and as part of the effort, she decided to celebrate the anniversary of the 1956 revolution with the Hungarian Australian community. The President attended a 1956 commemoration and delivered remarks at the Hungarian Centre in Melbourne on 22 October.

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their development of mRNA-based vaccine technology, which has been successfully used in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the first day of the summit, President Katalin Novák presented ‘the 12 points of the freedom fight of families’, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that family matters and increasing low birth rates lie at the heart of the programme of her government. She also praised Hungary as a great example of effective family policies.

In a radio interview, President Katalin Novák spoke about the upcoming Budapest International Demographic Summit and the importance of family-centric thinking, as well as the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and her roles as Hungary’s Head of State.

President Novák and President Zelenskyy engaged in a fruitful one-on-one in Kyiv, which may pave the way for more constructive bilateral relations.

Katalin Novák sent the whistleblower bill back to parliament for reconsideration, as she found that it fails to give the fundamental rights of Hungarians an elevated level of protection, as it states to do. She also shared her concerns about the potential violation of freedom of expression rights.

As an example of Christian-based politics, the President presented the elements and principles of Hungarian family policy. She highlighted that it is not the state’s role to tell anyone how to live, but it is its duty to provide opportunities for people to have children if they choose to do so.

During her recent trip to Paris, President Katalin Novák met with President Emmanuel Macron and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

At the Fidesz–KDNP parliamentary group meeting today it was decided that Tamás Sulyok, President of the Hungarian Constitutional Court would be nominated for the position of head of state, left vacant following the resignation of Katalin Novák. Tamás Deutsch will lead the governing parties’ list for the European Parliament elections.

On Saturday, 17 February, Viktor Orbán delivered his 25th State of the Nation address, which was centred around topics such as the scandal surrounding President Katalin Novák, the reinforcement of the child protection system, Hungary’s relationship with the European Union, and the forthcoming EU and US elections.

Balog’s resignation was prompted by a recent scandal that caused public outrage where former President Katalin Novák granted clemency to an accomplice of a convicted paedophile. Novák resigned on 10 February after the events, closely followed by the resignation of former Minister of Justice Judit Varga.

Our editor-in-chief’s take on the resignations of Katalin Novák and Judit Varga, and what they entail for Hungarian conservatives.

The Constitutional Court in Budapest sent the new legislation regarding specially protected national property back to the National Assembly for reconsideration. The law had been referred to the Court by President Katalin Novák.

Katalin Novák reminded that in the last 30 years, the population of Hungary has decreased by more than 700,000, and the ethnic Hungarian population of the neighbouring countries has also significantly diminished. However, she said, that decline is not something that cannot be stopped. ‘Let the Carpathian Basin be the source of passing on life,’ she declared.

Katalin Novák stressed that the roundtable is not a government agency. Its members will make recommendations to the government and ‘encourage people to contribute to the dialogue,’ she explained. The roundtable comprises representatives of the private and public spheres, as well as the scientific community.

In the interview, President of the Republic Katalin Novák underscored Hungary’s key role in protecting the EU’s Schengen border, highlighted the Hungarian government’s unique family policy, stressed the importance of starting peace talks to end the war on Ukraine, and reiterated Hungary’s support for Israel.

The ceremony was attended by President Katalin Novák, former Presidents János Áder and Pál Schmitt, House Speaker László Kövér, several members of the government, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as representatives of churches and parliamentary parties, and several justices of the Constitutional Court.

Hungarian President Katalin Novák hosted a gala dinner on Monday in Budapest to honour the two new Hungarian Nobel Laureates: Katalin Karikó and Ferenc Krausz.

The Italian-born sportsman received his Certificate of Citizenship from President Katalin Novák at the Sándor Palace. With Rossi’s leadership, the National Team has achieved outstanding results, such as beating England 4–0 in the Nations League.

Katalin Novák thanked Giorgia Meloni for accepting her invitation to speak at the fifth Budapest Demographic Summit, which will take place between 14 and 16 September. The summit is one of Hungary’s largest international conferences on demographics.