Hungary is a good ally, and it should be shown to everyone that it has always been a good ally and will continue to be one, stated the President of the Republic during the annual ambassadors’ conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday.

In her lecture to Hungary’s chiefs of mission, Katalin Novák emphasized that Hungary is a reliable ally that can be counted on when the situation becomes critical, and it never breaks its word. Hungary is a determined, reliable, assertive ally that says what it thinks, but at the very least, one can expect that it will do what it said and speak its mind, she added.

The President noted that Hungary always acts in the interest of Hungary and negotiates from an equal footing, both with its allies and with parties beyond the alliance systems.

In terms of the EU accession of the Western Balkans, the President highlighted that Hungary considers it essential and Budapest plays a bridging role between the candidate countries and their goal. She emphasized that the countries in the region do not need to prove that they are Europeans; it is evident that the Western Balkan countries belong to Europe, and their culture is obviously European, so it will be the restoring a natural state of affairs when they eventually join the EU in a legal sense.

Regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war, Katalin Novák emphasized that Hungary’s position is crystal clear: Hungary supports peace, given that there are Hungarians living in Ukraine, and some have lost their lives in the war. Hungary condemns Russia’s aggression and has stood up for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty from the very beginning, the President reminded.

Katalin Novák also spoke about Hungary’s commitment to the rights and language use of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, emphasizing that Hungary will continue to adhere to this in the future. She stated that

nobody can expect Hungary to make concessions or compromises concerning the rights of the Hungarian population in Transcarpathia.

In December of the previous year, Ukraine's parliament passed legislation concerning national minorities, which was one of the prerequisites for Ukraine to initiate talks regarding its EU membership. Nonetheless, Hungarian groups voiced their discontent with this new law, arguing that it disregarded the constructive suggestions put forward by minority organizations in the past. According to them, this law not only strengthens the limitations on rights already present in the Education and Language Laws, which had adverse effects on Hungarian communities, but also introduces new restrictions. Furthermore, they assert that it fails to ensure the protection of well-defined regions with a high concentration of a particular nationality and the use of their symbols.

In conclusion, Katalin Novák reiterated that Hungary will welcome its allies as well on 14–15 September at the fifth Budapest Demographic Summit, an event held every two years. In the second half of next year, she added, Hungary aims to host the world’s women leaders in Budapest during its EU presidency.

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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/NKK/MTI