Gergely Gulyás, the minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office, stated on Thursday that Hungary does not want to participate in NATO’s mission in Ukraine. He reiterated the government’s unchanged position: the war cannot be resolved on the battlefield, and peace talks are urgently needed.
On Wednesday Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held telephone talks. The discussion focused on promoting bilateral relations and the ongoing war in Ukraine, with Zelenskyy inviting Orbán to the Global Peace Summit scheduled to take place in June.
Hungary and Armenia had severed diplomatic ties with each other in 2012 over an extradition scandal. Relations were re-established in December 2022. Now, the two sides have agreed to open embassies in each other’s capitals. In addition, Wizzair will soon launch a direct flight between Budapest and Yerevan.
Azerbaijan has the potential to become one of the major natural gas suppliers to Hungary if the current determination to increase import volumes continues. However, the bilateral relations between the two countries extend beyond natural gas exports and are characterized by an enhanced strategic partnership. Given the commitment to construct an undersea high-voltage power line through the Black Sea, Azerbaijan could also become a key exporter of renewable energy to Hungary. On 1 May 2024 Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, ahead of the Tashkent International Investment Forum, reached an agreement to construct a similar high-voltage undersea power line through the Caspian Sea.
‘It was thought that the BRI, aside enhancing China’s geo-political clout, would have not just boosted trade and growth, it would have also created sustainable development and social stability in the countries involved. On the contrary, the social impact of large infrastructure projects were are often implemented through human rights violations.’
The recent signing of a military and defence industry cooperation agreement between Hungary and the United Arab Emirates introduces a new dimension to their bilateral relations. Hungary’s status as a NATO member, combined with the UAE’s robust partnership with the alliance, suggests that this agreement may lead to a more pronounced role for Hungary in security collaborations between NATO and the Gulf region.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, following over three hours of negotiations, an agreement was reached to include additional Hungarian railway developments on the list of infrastructure projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
At a press conference ahead of Day 1 of CPAC Hungary 2024, Director General Miklós Szánthó of the Center for Fundamental Rights shared that this year’s conference will be bigger than ever before, as the organizers are expecting a record number of 3,000 attendees, including 500 foreign guests. The event will attract 80 speakers from all six continents.
Even liberals did not take kindly to the decision by Brussels district mayor Emir Kir to use police force to try and shut down a right-wing conference featuring Viktor Orbán among the speakers. Kir faced severe criticism from Belgium’s left-wing prime minister, and the Conseil d’État, Belgium’s highest court, subsequently annulled his order.
General Amir Avivi, the founder of the Israel Defence and Security Forum, also highlighted in his briefing following the IRI attack that the fact that Israel and its allies intercepted 99 per cent of the rockets ‘showed that Israel could cope with a direct attack from Iran, and can coordinate efficiently with its allies to defend itself.’
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
