Hungarian Conservative

President Tamás Sulyok met with Pope Francis in the Vatican City on Thursday. The two ‘discussed communities and the future of our communities,’ the Hungarian President stated to journalists on-site.

The minister underscored that strengthening ties with the United Arab Emirates, a significant economic and military power in the Gulf region, can complement Hungary’s defence development programme, whether it involves defence-oriented research, innovation, or the manufacturing of military equipment.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s political director stressed the urgency of diplomatic talks, highlighting their potential to save lives and mitigate the risk of a global conflict.

The annual Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum was held with the participation of thirteen countries situated between the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Seas, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Romania, Greece, and Bulgaria. President of Hungary Tamás Sulyok also participated in several bilateral meetings during the event.

House Speaker László Kövér spoke at the opening of an exhibition in Budapest on International Francophonie Day, where he praised the French culture’s effect on European cultural life.

Tamás Sulyok visited Poland on the Day of Polish⁠–⁠Hungarian Friendship, marking the extraordinary and long-standing relationship between the two Central European nations.

Peter Pellegrini met with his Hungarian counterpart László Kövér, as well as President Tamás Sulyok, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He stressed that Hungary and Slovakia both oppose the removal of veto rights of EU Member States, illegal immigration into Europe, and sending troops to Ukraine.

MITEM and the grand theatrical Olympics have opened a new chapter in cultural diplomacy. Entering its second decade, the meeting bears witness to cohesion, mutual respect, interest, the enriching power of diversity.

The security of the Sahel is the security of Europe as well. If the EU and its Member States, including Hungary, want to avoid having to face irregular mass migration and terrorism at their immediate borders, we have to invest in the security of the Sahel, using all aspects of collaboration, from diplomacy to development and defence.

One hundred programmes are being organized this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Türkiye. The programmes of the 2024 Hungarian–Turkish cultural season will run concurrently in the two countries for one year.

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.

The deadliest forest fire on record in Chile’s history broke out last Friday, killing over 110 people. Foreign Minister of Hungary Péter Szijjártó has sent an open letter to his Chilean counterpart, expressing sympathies on his country’s behalf.

Orbán told public radio that Hungary only consented to financial contributions allocated towards efforts to prevent the collapse of the Ukrainian state at the Thursday Council meeting. He said peace was the crucial issue as regards the war between Russia and Ukraine but ‘the situation is not good in this respect, since Brussels is suffering from war fever’.

At a recent Rubicon Institute conference in Budapest, historians and Middle East experts attempted to shed light on the complexities of the Arab–Israeli conflict and its regional and international contexts.

The Prime Minister expressed concern about the lack of proper respect for agriculture as a crucial element of the European economy within the European Union. He criticized unfavourable regulations imposed in several countries, making the situation difficult for farmers.

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.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Máté Paczolay, stated: ‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade responded to the threat immediately. We have informed our representations in Ukraine and the Special Forces in charge of [the minister’s] personal security as well. They are all doing their jobs.’

In his regular Friday morning interview, the Prime Minister stated that there was ‘no money in the world’ that would get Hungary to allow migrants into Hungary and ‘take the country away from us.’

Emphasizing the need to resist ‘blackmail’, the resolution, approved by the vast majority of the MEPs, condemns the alleged ‘systematic efforts of the Hungarian government to undermine the EU’s founding values’. The resolution also highlights Hungary’s perceived violations of EU treaties, calling on the European Council to assess whether the country has committed ‘serious and persistent breaches of EU values.’

Leftist MEPs added a last-minute amendment to a resolution up for a vote on the European Parliament floor tomorrow in which they declare their intent to sue the European Commission for approving the release of €10.2 billion of the withheld cohesion funds to Hungary.

According to the ministry’s statement, the Hungarian Foreign Minister underscored that one of the main priorities of Hungarian foreign policy remains the acceleration of Western Balkan integration. Consequently, Hungary will dedicate particular attention to this goal during its upcoming EU presidency.

In her welcoming speech at the reception of the Ambassadors accredited to Hungary, President Novák addressed the global challenges facing our world, the future of Europe, and Hungary’s role on the international stage.

The political director of the Prime Minister emphasized that the EU treaty is unequivocal: expanding the EU requires the consent of the member states, and Hungary’s rights cannot be restricted beyond a certain extent by any procedural rule.

Regarding the acceptance of the fifty billion euros financial package for Ukraine, he noted that it would have meant a serious and immediate detriment to Hungary. ‘We see that the European Union wants to finance a failed strategy, and it makes no sense whatsoever,’ he expressed.

Arriving for the two-day EU summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary’s position is very clear. ‘When we talk about enlargement, the Hungarian stance states that it is a merit-based, sophisticated, legal procedure,’ he explained.

Talks with Ukraine on possible EU membership ‘right now are absurd, ridiculous, and unserious’, and the government will not support them. Right now no one knows what Ukraine’s accession would entail or how much territory or population would be integrated into the bloc, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in the debate of the ruling Fidesz party’s draft resolution on Ukraine’s accession talks.

Meloni emphasized her familiarity with the views of the Hungarian Prime Minister, which diverge from those she holds concerning Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. However, she noted that, in her opinion, the inflexibility and strictness of the European Commission have led to the Hungarian Prime Minister’s perspectives.

‘Before a military operation is even conceivable, Washington and the EU Member States must abandon the so-called “good relations” with Iran. There is nothing good in a “relation” where the other side is going to profit from it, and thereby continue to sponsor terrorists. After all is said and done, then, perhaps we can discuss, or even assume, good relaions.’

The passing of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger marks the end of an era in global diplomacy and strategy. A stalwart in realpolitik with a controversial legacy, his insights are now more relevant than ever before.

The Hungarian state acquired the former Ministry of Finance building for 10 million euros in 2021, below the appraised value according to the valuation. Due to its location and high prestige, the actual value of the property is practically priceless.