‘Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing the most serious constitutional crisis since its inception, and this crisis will be resolved through political and legal means,’ President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik told Hungarian Conservative. In the interview, the Bosnian Serb leader—currently facing two arrest warrants—sets out the lesser-known perspective of the ongoing tensions in the Western Balkans.
China rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim of large-scale Chinese military involvement on Russia’s side on Wednesday. Kyiv announced on Tuesday that two Chinese citizens had been captured in Donetsk and suggested that there could be ‘many more’ fighting against Ukrainian forces.
Human rights NGOs such as Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights joined Hamas in expressing their outrage over Hungary’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court and to refuse the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They also called on the European Union to revoke Hungary’s voting rights.
‘The UN, unlike the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is a collective security system; the latter is an alliance, which deals with a specific and specified threat and has military forces to address these threats. The UN is juridically neutral, and it is coerced to wait for a threat to emerge before it can consider action.’
A general ceasefire in Ukraine may be possible this year, experts suggest, though peace remains distant. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen faces a prison sentence and a five-year election ban, potentially reshaping the future of France’s National Rally party.
The first-ever EU–Central Asia summit has just kicked off as Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa arrived in Uzbekistan. Brussels is now trying to assert its influence over the region, which is widely seen as one of the future economic and trade powerhouses. However, most EU member states lack the deep connections and relationships with the Central Asian republic, except for one: Hungary.
Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, following years of scepticism toward it. The announcement coincided with the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest for talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán.
Interpol has dropped the international arrest warrant for President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, which had been requested by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dodik welcomed the decision, stating that Interpol is ‘not at the service of Sarajevo’, and expressed his gratitude to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his support.
Media reports have emerged alleging that Hungary has appealed against Interpol’s arrest warrant for Milorad Dodik. Serbia—a close ally of both Hungary and Republika Srpska—also lodged a complaint, arguing that the red notice issued on 28 March violates Article 3 of Interpol’s Statute.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Hungary’s energy security has faced constant and varied threats—from strikes on Russian gas pipelines to the suspension of transit through Ukraine. However, if the current ceasefire agreement is implemented effectively, Budapest could finally experience stability in this regard.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
