Hungarian Conservative

‘And here we come. Our time has come because by becoming the meeting point of Eastern and Western investments, we provide a life insurance for Hungary, we provide a guarantee that in the coming years, Hungary will be the winner of the big global economic transformation that the automotive revolution dictates,’ Péter Szijjártó said.

While differing perspectives persist on the most suitable approach to drug policy, Hungary’s firm commitment to a conservative approach by combining enforcement and treatment remains essential for addressing drug-related issues effectively. Probably not unrelatedly, the country is one of the safest in the EU according to the Economic Global Peace Index.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó highlighted the natural mutual understanding between Qatar and Hungary as countries with patriotic governments focused on asserting national interests.

At an extraordinary press conference, the minister referred to this event as a great collective success for all Hungarians, highlighting that Budapest is now ready to host one of the world’s largest sporting events thanks to environmentally friendly, sustainable, and large-scale sports infrastructure developments.

The recent military coup in the West African nation of Niger has thrown the country into turmoil. The forcefully ousted President Bazoum is currently under ‘house arrest’, but he managed to publish an opinion piece in The Washington Post. One Hungarian citizen was successfully evacuated last week through a rescue mission organised by the Italian military.

It is quite clear that the Ukrainians would have never survived this long against the Russian aggression without the financial and military assistance of the US. Yet the Biden administration has thus far offered no strategic argument on behalf of the costs and risks, let alone what is the overall end objective of the war.

According to the Hungarian foreign minister, a fully participated Olympics could be of great assistance in peacefully resolving armed conflicts, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, not to mention that the losers of an Olympic boycott would be the athletes who train and prepare tirelessly throughout their entire lives, and have no say in political decisions.

In his remarks at the congress of the International Swimming Federation Péter Szijjártó highlighted that Hungary plays a significant role in the world of swimming, as one of the eight founding members of the International Swimming Federation in 1908, holding thirty-seven Olympic gold medals in swimming and nine in water polo.

The minister advocated for strengthening ties between the European Union and Central Asia, urging the prompt signing of the EU-Kyrgyzstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which was initialled in 2019.

The Hungarian foreign minister announced that Budapest will not consent to further arms shipments to Ukraine as long as Kyiv fails to remove OTP Bank from its list of international war sponsors.

The minister recalled that the Factory Rescue Programme was launched by the government following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, to enable domestic companies to strengthen their independence from the highly unpredictable fluctuations of international energy markets and to preserve jobs and maintain economic performance.

The embassies of the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and 35 other nations have put out a joint statement ahead of the Budapest Pride March, condemning the Hungarian government for allegedly not protecting the rights of LGBTQ people in the country. US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman was also present at the March, where also gave yet another critical speech.

At the UNSC session on the situation in Ukraine, the Hungarian foreign minister stated that the resolution of the armed conflict is not to be found on the battlefield but at the negotiating table.

‘We have managed to make a decision that does not carry the risk of war escalation, and the member states have made it clear that Ukraine can only receive an invitation to join NATO if the country fulfils all the necessary conditions and if the allies unanimously agree on it in the future,’ the Hungarian foreign minister stated.

The facility aims to produce 700–800 million aluminium beverage cans annually, with approximately half of them filled, mainly to meet the demands of local and regional third-party brands. Additionally, the company plans to serve its own local and regional markets from this plant.

Erdoğan spoke about the issue of Sweden’s NATO membership during a press conference held at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before travelling to the alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. He stated that Turkey would approve Sweden’s NATO membership if the European Union resumes accession negotiations with his country.

Brussels is requesting an additional €98 billion in contributions from member states. Hungary does not approve of this contribution. As Gulyás pointed out, this request raises the question: how have Ukraine and the EU spent their funds so far? ‘Where is the money?,’ he asked. He also posed the same question to Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, who is embroiled in a campaign finance scandal while he is also claiming that his city is nearing bankruptcy.

In 2017, the recent France riots were seemingly foreshadowed by the Foreign Minister of the UAE, who said: ‘There will come a day that we will see far more radical extremists and terrorists coming out of Europe because of lack of decision making, trying to be politically correct, or assuming that they know the Middle East and they know Islam and others far better than we do. I’m sorry, but that’s pure ignorance.’

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated at a press conference on Tuesday that Hungary will keep its promise of not holding up Sweden’s joining of NATO, thus it is ready to back it once Turkey is. However, a recent incident of Quran burning in Stockholm may set the process back for some time again.

‘There is also a way to deal with the world’s largest economy, for the US Dollar (USD) is not going to decline anytime soon. Those who claim that the USD is in decline often argue that for centuries, reserve currencies have risen and fallen in tandem with their home economies. As the US’ share of the global economy diminishes, economists argue, so too will the USD and its global hegemony. A fascinating yet hardly conclusive argument since there has never been a dominant global reserve currency prior to the USD. Quite the contrary, the USD is the only currency ever to have played such a pivotal role in international commerce.’

At a joint press conference held with his Slovak counterpart in Budapest, Minister Szijjártó said both Slovakia and Hungary insist that the composition of the energy mix of member states should remain a national competence.

Péter Szijjártó declared that it is no longer an exaggeration to speak of the mutually respect-based cooperation between Audi and Győr, and Audi and Hungary as a true success story.

Ukrainian representative Yuriy Kamelchuk demanded an explanation as to why Hungary had blocked the payment of the next instalment of military aid from the European Peace Facility (EPF) to Ukraine. In his reply, the Hungarian minister reminded that Ukraine has put the biggest Hungarian bank on their list of international sponsors of terrorism, suggesting that the Hungarian bank enables the Russian war machine. As soon as OTP is removed from that list, the minister declared, Hungary will reconsider its veto.

‘My Serbian colleague informed me that it finally stopped raining today, so they are assessing the situation, and we expect their response tomorrow. We are ready to help,’ the Foreign Minister wrote on his Facebook page.

According to a recent ADL survey, anti-Semitic incidents surged to historic levels in 2022 in the United States, with a total of 3,697 hate-related incidents reported across the country, which is a 36 per cent increase from 2021 and the highest level ever recorded in the group’s history since it began keeping records in 1979. Amidst a record high level of anti-Semitism, at this year’s Celebration of Israel Parade in New York City the importance of showing unity and support for Israel was highlighted.

In his video message sent to the conference taking place in Yibin, China, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó praised the mutually beneficial strategic cooperation between Hungary and China, and called Hungary ‘a meeting point of Western and Eastern investors’.

During the announcement of Rolls-Royce’s new research and development investment, the minister highlighted that the company will design the tools necessary for the transportation of the future in its Budapest centre, including components for hybrid and electric aircraft and systems based on high-speed generators.

The MCC Budapest Peace Forum featured 70 speakers, 35 foreign experts from 20 different countries. Academics, public figures, and famed experts all took a stand for the importance of peace, and shone a light on the consequences of war from the different aspects of their respective expertise.

The Foreign Minister pointed out that the higher the risk of terrorism, the greater the chance of increased migration pressure on Europe, adding that Hungary is now among the first to face waves of migration, as the Western Balkan route has become primary. ‘Therefore, combating terrorism is a key issue for Hungary,’ he stated.

During his visit to Hungary, Eli Cohen also participated in the unveiling of the statue of Árpád Weisz, a Hungarian-born soccer player who coached Inter Milan and later Bologna before perishing in the Holocaust. The bronze statue was unveiled by Eli Cohen and Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, together with Sándor Csányi, the head of the Hungarian Football Association (MLSZ), and Giuseppe Saputo, the chairman of the Bologna football club.