As far as social cohesion is concerned, Hungary made significant progress during the examined period: we improved by 16.9 index points in six years, which meant an advancement of five places (from 20th to 15th place). According to the Equilibrium Institute, we are primarily competing with the Finns and the Irish, with a score of 73.6.
‘We are waiting for Swedish government officials to reassure members of the Hungarian parliament; our goal is to support Sweden’s NATO accession with the largest possible parliamentary majority, similarly to Finland’s,’ the political director of the prime minister said.
In essence, Orbán’s government is signalling a willingness to cooperate with the internationally sanctioned Iranian regime even in areas such as nuclear policy.
Diplomacy has always been a complicated game of chess, not every move is going to be a winning one. It goes without say that there are advantages in implementing realpolitik, even with oppressive regimes. The paradox is that it can also make them even stronger.
European debates tend to ignore the fact that Hungarian politics—sometimes peculiar and certainly unusual to many Western observers—is not meant to curb liberties or enable oppression but, on the contrary, to further freedom and efforts to attain it.
Demonstrating that the bond between the two states is more than just political declarations or self-interested cooperation, Hungary is marking the Day of Hungarian–Polish friendship with a series of cultural events across the country.
Charlemagne’s figure, as well as the myths and legends associated with him, had a great influence on medieval Western European chronicles and fiction, but medieval Hungarian historiography—similarly to Central European—was surprisingly little affected by it.
There has been no doubt from the first moment that Hungary is committed to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, argues Zsolt Németh, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament in an interview about the decades of Hungarian NATO membership, the Hungarian peace diplomacy and the prospects of the Finland & Sweden Accession.
The payment of EU funds allocated to Hungary in the 2021–2027 budget cycle was suspended in December 2022. The suspension, however, does not mean a loss of resources. In other words, the path is clear for Hungary: defying the political headwind, it can set a model for the EU as a whole, as to how its financial interests can be protected by means of the rule of law.
Snubbing Hungary is a telltale sign that Czech President Petr Pavel has issues with the Hungarian government as well as with the V4 cooperation.
The Prime Minister said that the rebuilding of Russian-European economic relations after the war would be desirable, but it is unlikely to happen any time soon.