Hungarian Conservative

Speaking at the farewell of the Hungarian police contingent heading to Serbia, Bence Rétvári reminded that Hungary is already engaged in a trilateral cooperation with Austrian police, jointly protecting the southern borders of the European Union. The success of this police collaboration is evident in the significant number of illegal migrants that have been apprehended during recent times.

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.

Brussels should emerge from this leadership crisis as soon as possible, and from this perspective, next year will be crucial, Balázs Orbán said in reference to the upcoming European parliamentary elections.

The Spanish conservative PP won, but failed to secure a majority in the parliamentary elections this Sunday. Its potential coalition partner Vox significantly underperformed, winning only 33 seats in parliament, which means that forming a viable right-wing coalition government will be trickier than expected.

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 official expressed his discontent over the fact that the former rugby player Dan Dinu’s words were liked by several public figures and politicians.

The PM’s press chief, Bertalan Havasi told MTI that in a letter sent on Saturday, Viktor Orbán expressed his gratitude to Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu for having received him in Bucharest earlier this week, and for having ‘ensured the safety and security of the Tusnádfürdő Free University and making it possible for me to deliver my remarks today in undisturbed and peaceful circumstances.’

The Hungarian justice minister stated that the cost of environmental protection should not be imposed on the poorest countries or the most vulnerable members of societies, but primarily borne by major polluting countries and corporations.

After the recent repeated defiling of the Úzvölgy military cemetery, Hungarians in Romania are now bracing themselves for another provocation in Tusványos.

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.

Her first trip to Texas was motivated by the desire to ‘strengthen cooperation among conservatives across continents,’ the justice minister said, stressing that ‘We need to make friendships, get to know each other, and find common ground…While there might be differences in the details, when it comes to fundamental principles, I believe we understand each other.’

Gergely Gulyás emphasised that ‘if there is a political change in the United States, which, of course, depends on the decision of the Americans, then it is certain that Hungarian–American relations can greatly improve with a conservative American administration.’

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.

Mihály Varga recalled that during the pandemic, it became evident that Hungary needed to increase its self-sufficiency in the health industry. Therefore, in 2020, the government launched the Healthcare Industry Support Programme, which, among others, has now facilitated Medicor’s investment.

Katalin Novák pointed out that it was the first time a Hungarian President visited Tanzania and emphasised the importance of understanding the Tanzanian people’s mentality and way of life, with bilateral relations based on mutual respect.

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.

Another summit of the intergovernmental cooperation between Austria, Hungary, and Serbia took place on 7 July in Vienna, Austria. Apart from the heads of state and government, the three nations’ ministers of foreign affairs, and domestic and law enforcement leaders also took part in the conference, held at the Austrian Chancellor’s residence. The Vienna Summit was organised in the wake of Hungary and Poland officially objecting to the migration package at the European Commission’s 30 June session.

Enumerating the factors strengthening the positive outlook for the economy, the Hungarian finance minister stated that the country’s export performance is very good, and in terms of population, Hungary ranks 94th among the countries of the world, while it stands at 34th place in terms of export indicators.

The PM’s political director stated that as opposed to how the European asylum system is currently working, Hungary’s position is that no one who is not eligible for legal entry should be allowed into the territory of Europe and the Schengen area. Those wishing to submit an asylum application should do so outside the Schengen area, and only those entitled to refugee status should be allowed to enter.

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.

Orbán noted that according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden could put an end to the war, adding that he actually agrees with the Ukrainian President. ‘If the United States said they want peace, it would happen by tomorrow morning,’ the PM opined, stating that he cannot comprehend why the Americans do not want to do that, and there was no answer at the NATO summit to that question either.

In response to the ruling of the Veszprém regional court, Fidesz MP Gergely Gulyás and KDNP MP Zsolt Semjén have submitted a legislative amendment proposal to parliament on 13 July which states that only women who have worked for 40 years as women are eligible for early retirement.

‘This drone is the result of several years of development work and the cooperation of Hungarian engineers,’ Imre Porkoláb, Ministerial Commissioner for Defence Innovation underlined.

‘If the measure regarding mandatory migrant quotas is adopted, a migrant camp accommodating 20,000 to 30,000 people should be established in Hungary,’ the PM’s Chief Security Advisor told public M1 television.

The Veszprém Regional Court ruled that a trans woman named Elvira is eligible for early retirement under the government’s ‘Women 40’ programme. Fidesz MP Gabriella Selmeczi and president of the Interest Group of Hungarian Women Kinga Szőnyi spoke out against the decision.

The environmental permit of CATL, which has significant water and energy requirements, was challenged in court by six private individuals and two civil organisations.

On 12 July, one day after the correction issued by the Ukrainian foreign ministry, some Ukrainian media, including the English language Kyiv Independent, were still posting articles about WizzAir having removed ‘a Ukrainian war veteran’ from its flight. Obviously, the fake news was too conveniently painting a negative picture of Hungary to be just let go by the unapologetically anti-Hungarian Ukrainian press.

According to the European Parliament, Romania and Bulgaria’s industries and inhabitants are negatively impacted socially and economically by the two nations’ continued exclusion from the visa-free zone.