Orbán’s summer university in Romania important step in peace mission?

Zsolt Németh, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee and founder of the Summer University in Baile Tusnad (Tusnádfürdő), in central Romania, has called for “better dialogue rather than confrontation, even amidst today’s political conditions”.

The main strength of the summer university has been “cooperation and dialogue rather than confrontation or monologue”, Németh told a press conference held ahead of this year’s event to be organised under the motto “On a Better Track” between July 23-28.

“There hasn’t been such a great need for thinking and political analysis than now,” Németh said, adding that the Russia-Ukraine war was “a political milestone” and “the issue of war or peace” would determine the next decades both in a political and an economic sense.

Németh called Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s peace mission “an already successful venture” which had evoked “a unique response and a tangible change of trends in the narratives of peace”. He said the position calling for a diplomatic settlement rather than a military solution was gaining momentum, and insisted that the summer university, with Orbán speaking on Saturday, would be “an important step in the peace mission”.

Németh said the formation of the Patriots for Europe party group was “a certain turnaround” in Europe, adding that the change “had been long in the pipeline … the strengthening of the right wing is indisputable in light of the results of the European parliamentary elections.” He said the new group would protect “community, ethnic and individual rights”.

Concerning the Hungarian EU presidency, he said it was “especially important to improve Hungary’s image and fight prejudice against the country’s policies”.

Németh said PfE’s proposal for ceasefire did not serve Russia’s interests and was “not aimed at Ukraine’s capitulation”. The proposal, he said, would offer Ukraine a chance “to become a sovereign and democratic country”. “Such chances are diminishing by the day as the war drags on,” he added.

Regarding the future, Németh said ensuring the rights of ethnic minorities was crucial to improving living standards all over Europe. The Hungarian EU presidency’s priorities include ensuring protection for the region’s cultural diversity and heritage, he added.

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