Hungarian Conservative

The recent visit of Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó to Brunei underscores Hungary’s strategic intent to strengthen its relationships with burgeoning economic regions, notably the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also signals one of Hungary’s foreign affairs objectives during its forthcoming presidency of the Council of the EU.

215 young scholars studying in Hungary as part of a bilateral agreement between Ghana and Hungary have gone without their stipends for six months now after the Ghanaian government has apparently failed to disburse the sums due to the 215 students.

Hungarian American Tisza Fizli was born and raised in Los Angeles but currently studies economics in Hungary, at Corvinus University as a Diaspora Higher Education Scholar. In the interview, she talks about her Hungarian roots, her upbringing, and her love for the city of Budapest.

During the programme, participants will be supported with monthly scholarships ranging from 350,000 to 500,000 forints, allowing approximately 8,000 students, educators, and researchers to gain international experience at the world’s leading universities.

Diaspora Higher Education Scholar Oliver Zrínyi, who is currently studying in Pécs, Hungary, talks about his Hungarian roots, his passion for music, and his future plan of living and working in Hungary.

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.

Réka Sundem is a young Hungarian American proud of her mixed heritage. Brought up in a household where Hungarian was spoken on a daily basis, she decided to apply for a Balassi Scholarship and spent a whole year in Hungary, learning about Hungarian culture and improving her language skills.

Viktor Orbán declared that Hungary’s energy supply is a key issue and noted that it is important for Hungary to be able to receive oil not only from Russia but also from Kazakhstan. He added that the volume of this is not significant yet, but the channels have been opened, and this is a significant step for the country’s security.

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.

Orbán began his speech by asserting that ‘this year has enormous amounts at stake because the Soros empire, in collaboration with the governing American Democrats, is launching an attack on right-wing media and enthusiastic national parties in many European countries, portraying themselves as Goliaths’.

Katalin Novák emphasised that this is the first occasion for a Hungarian President to visit Rwanda, and it could therefore be a milestone in bilateral relations.

The minister emphasised during a joint press conference with his Moldovan counterpart, Nicu Popescu, that the geopolitical significance of the Eastern Partnership has become even more valuable in the present circumstances.

Péter Szijjártó stated that one of the main pillars of the government’s foreign economic strategy is the economic relationship with China. ‘Companies like Huawei, which not only invest and create jobs in Hungary but also share technological knowledge and actively support domestic higher education, play the most important role in this,’ he declared.

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.

The President said there is a need for teachers who focus on the students, placing them at the centre of their work and keeping their long-term interests in mind.

Applications for the student talent development programme are open until 24 April 2023, university students from any academic field can apply. The special training takes six semesters to finish.

Loved and criticised, enjoyed and hated — the university experience is different for everyone. For Hungarian students, recent years have been a rollercoaster. With more changes in higher education coming, it is time for some stocktaking.