Hungarian Conservative

‘For our children, the mother tongue is a means and an opportunity for fulfilment and self-fulfilment. In the words of György Bessenyei: “Every nation becomes a scholar in its own language, but never in a foreign one.”’ Read Luke Larson’s interview with Hungarian-language school principal Berta Katona-Mironova on the situation of Hungarian-language education in Ukraine.

The launch of the book titled Fate Shapers – Stories of Successful Roma Men was held at the Mária Kopp Institute on Wednesday. The book presents the life stories of twelve successful Hungarian Roma men, serving as an inspiring example for the younger Roma generation.

Borjana Krišto emphasized the good cooperation between the two friendly countries and welcomed the work of the Joint Economic Commission between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary, noting that there is significant space and demand for increasing bilateral trade.

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.

Hungary has over 2 million TikTok users. Many Roma creators have popular accounts on the platform. This piece argues that the new social media site should be utilized by the government for their anti-poverty and integration programmes aimed at the Roma people of Hungary.

Ukraine may amend its legislation restricting minority rights, and the new initiative appears to be a praiseworthy improvement. However, the draft regulation concerns only the recognized nations of the EU, intentionally excluding Russians and Russian speakers.

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.

President Novák emphasized that the Hungarian diaspora in Australia serves as a good example of it an immigrant group contributing to the development of the host country while preserving its roots and heritage. The Hungarians who settled in Australia became loyal Australians while holding onto their Hungarian identity, the President underscored.

Gergely Gulyás argued that if it is true that those who are furthest from the Motherland find it the most difficult to preserve and pass on their mother tongue, to nurture their Hungarian identity, then no one can take the gold medal away from the Hungarian community in Australia.

Péter Szijjártó emphasized that this visit marks the end of a long hiatus in the relationship, as there had been no diplomatic ties between the two countries for a decade. He pointed out that the decision to normalize relations was made last year, aiming to establish cooperation that benefits both nations.

‘The Ukrainian Puzzle: Hungary’s Perspective on a Changing Neighbour’ is a book that intends to present the Hungarian perspective on Ukraine to the Ukrainian and international public, arguing that this perspective has not changed ever since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1991. While it is hard to disagree with the main idea of the book, the methodology employed to convey it leaves something to be desired.

Dodik expressed gratitude for the budgetary support provided by the Hungarian government earlier this year to the Bosnian Serbs, which enabled the institutions to function smoothly. According to the plans, the predominantly Serb-populated region of Bosnia and Herzegovina aims to work on the development of the electrical grid, solar energy, and hydropower, as well as construct a pharmaceutical factory and improve infrastructure.

Nowadays there are renewed efforts to reinvigorate and preserve the ancient identity of the Csángós. One of the most notable examples is the Council of Europe’s ‘Csango minority culture in Romania’ report, which, beside being a great overview of Csángó culture, also serves as a call to action to save this unique identity.

Ferenc Kalmár said that unfortunately, in recent times, there has been regression rather than progress in the issue of national minorities on a global scale, and the Russo-Ukrainian war has further exacerbated the situation.

For over a thousand years, Hungarians and Rusyns have lived peacefully together. This shared history offers important lesson of cooperation and mutual respect.

Soltész pointed out that Pilisvörösvár is one of the most significant settlements of the German minority in Hungary. The State Secretary recalled also that the national minority scholarship recognises not only outstanding academic performance but also work for the community.

Ukraine’s newest attempt to meet EU expectations regarding national minority rights has again failed to grant sufficient institutional protections to the numerous minorities living in the country.

John C. Swanson’s book Tangible Belonging provides not only a rare insight into the life of German-speaking villagers in Hungary, but also into the complexity of ethnic identity and interwar minority formation.

Given their considerable numbers, Roma could be a decisive force in Hungarian politics, however, due to the fragmentation of their political leadership, in the last thirty years Roma representation has not left any significant mark on Hungarian public life.

The social dynamics set into  motion under state socialism continues to have a lingering negative impact even today. Around 55 per cent of the Hungarian Roma live in villages or towns with a population of less than 50 thousand people.