Hungarian Conservative

The Turkish parliament approved Sweden’s application for NATO membership on Tuesday, leaving only the Hungarian ratification to stand in the way of the Nordic country’s full membership.

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.

The consumption of lentils at midnight on New Year’s Eve or on the first day of the New Year is one of the most widespread Hungarian customs. According to tradition, each lentil symbolizes a coin. Those who partake in lentils on the first day of the New Year are believed to have a full wallet throughout the entire year.

While political festivals are not unique per se, there is something unique about how the Hungarian right organizes its gatherings. Their continuing success is not due to populist chauvinism, or to making them mere echo chambers. In fact, plenty of world views, including opposition voices highly critical of the Orbán administration, clashed on stage in front of captivated audiences many times this summer.

The Hungarian Prime Minister’s chief security advisor György Bakondi talked to the Hungarian television TV2, and explained why Hungary is not willing to comply with what is included in the European Union’s migration pact.

The booklet takes an in-depth look at the European phenomenon of migration, from the number of border crossings and the attitudes of the Hungarian society towards immigration to the V4 and their stance on migration. It also delves into the situation Mediterranean EU Member States find themselves in the current crisis, as well as the role of Turkey in tackling the migration waves and the security challenges posed by them.

While millions of children across the globe get their Christmas presents from Santa on Christmas Day, in Hungary, Saint Nicholas, called Mikulás, arrives on the eve of 6 December, bringing sweets and nuts, and leaves the task of delivering the real Christmas gifts to the angels.

The new Hungarian draft law laying down general rules on the entry and residence of third-country nationals is an unprecedentedly strict piece of legislation, not only in Europe but also globally, to regulate the employment of workers from outside the European Union.

The two countries celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and the initiation of Hungarian-Turkish diplomatic relations with a Hungarian-Turkish cultural season starting on 18 December. On the occasion of the anniversary, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will also visit Budapest.

The populist right-wing PVV party, known for its anti-immigration and Eurosceptic stances, won by far the most seats in the Dutch House of Representatives, 37, and got the largest share of the popular vote, 23.5 per cent, as well in last night’s special election. Party leader Geert Wilders is a long-time ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary.

The following is Part III of a three-part analysis that sets out to illustrate the three fault lines that are about to redraw the geostrategic map of the Old World.

The following is Part II of a three-part analysis that sets out to illustrate the three fault lines that are about to redraw the geostrategic map of the Old World.

Ursula von der Leyen, presenting the report on the expected reforms for the EU accession of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, as well as the accession prospects for the Western Balkans and Turkey, announced that the European Commission recommends initiating accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, as soon as they meet final conditions.

Oleksii Arestovych, a former advisor to the Ukrainian president recently announced his candidacy for the Ukrainian presidency, the election for which is scheduled to happen in 2024—however, due to the martial law in force in the country, the elections might not be organized.

The equipping of the Gidrán combat vehicle already started in Hungary years ago, but from now on, the vehicle itself will be manufactured in the country.

In his speech at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, Viktor Orbán stated that Europe is facing difficult dilemmas, and the answers provided will have a strong impact on the relationship between the Turkic world and the continent. The PM emphasized that from a European perspective, global security is currently in the worst condition since the end of the Cold War.

The Hungarian-Dominican Vincent Valerio-Bodon was released from the 17-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakes after playing a pre-season game for the team. Had he been able to make it in the NBA, he would have gotten into a very exclusive club of Hungarian players.

Islamic terrorism aims to destroy the West, and mass immigration from Muslim countries is the breeding ground for terrorism, Daniele Scalea holds. An interview about the impossibility of assimilation, the hypocrisy of the West, and the abuse of European asylum regulations.

The Mariazell Basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary is one of Austria’s most popular tourist attractions and a national pilgrimage site. Its foundation dates back to the mid-12th century, yet the construction and re-foundation of the present church in the 1370s was due to a generous donation from King Louis the Great of Hungary.

‘Christian nationalism is a type of religious nationalism in which the end goal is to achieve an absolute Christian theocracy within a society. Its advocates primarily focus on the internal politics of society, such as legislating civil and criminal laws that reflect their view of Christianity and the role of religion in political and social life, which calls for, at least in their mindset, a strongman like Putin.’

In his meeting with the President of the European Council, Orbán reiterated Hungary’s position on issues such as EU funds for Hungary, the increasingly serious migration crisis at the continent’s borders, Europe’s economic and competitiveness decline, and the EU budget.

‘If the Hungarian government has other countries standing up for Hungary, that’s the best way to push back against Washington and Brussels,’ argues James Carafano, Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

House Speaker László Kövér of Hungary has claimed that while the administration and President Novák support Sweden’s NATO bid, there is division between Fidesz MPs in parliament on the issue. Meanwhile, President Erdoğan of Turkey, the other holdout country, is also walking back on his commitment to the ratification.

Two major NATO innovative bodies, the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) and the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), are holding their conferences in Budapest, Hungary this week. To mark the occasion, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence announced the hosting of the ‘NATO Innovation Week’.

Ármin Vámbéry was an internationally respected scholar, traveller, linguist, and ethnographer who pioneered in the research of the Orient. He is commemorated for his unceasing will, lifelong dedication to science, and profound contributions to Middle Eastern studies.

At an extraordinary government press briefing on Wednesday, chief of the PM’s Office Gergely Gulyás said the government may impose a ban on Ukrainian grain imports after 15 September within its own competence if the EC fails to act.

This Saturday marks the anniversary of the death of Prince Emeric, the first Hungarian heir to the throne, who died at a tragically young age. His death during a hunting accident gave rise to conspiracy theories about his assassination and turned the wild boar into an unusual political actor and symbol in Hungarian history.  

Hungary will not decide on any further funding for arms or anything related to Ukraine until it receives ‘a detailed, clear account of how the approximately 50-70 billion euros sent to Ukraine so far have been spent,’ Minister Szijjártó nailed down this morning, before he left for the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.

The government does not intend to hinder Sweden’s NATO membership, the Hungarian foreign minister stressed, noting that he has been in continuous consultation with Turkish leaders regarding both the Swedish and earlier, the Finnish NATO accession. Regarding the Ukrainian conflict, Szijjártó stated that as a neighbouring country, Hungary is in a unique position due to the large Hungarian community living in Transcarpathia.

In the latest episodes of the Reflections from Budapest podcast, Director of the Middle East Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute Jeremy P. Barker explained that their work aims to promote religious freedom rights for everyone everywhere, recognising and hoping that includes even the smallest and most persecuted religious minorities, whether that’s Christians or Yazidis in the Middle East, or Uyghurs in China and others.