Slovakia

Here is why you might bump into a lot of US, Polish, Romanian soldiers in Hungary

Hungary international military exercise

The Black Swan 2022 international special operations military exercise concluded in Szolnok, in central Hungary, on Thursday, with a day of drill demonstrations.

The NATO exercise involved over 700 troops from nine countries, along with 15 aircraft and other equipment, according to a statement. Major General Tamás Sándor, inspector for Special Operations of the Hungarian Defence Forces Command, said at the Szolnok helicopter base that all partner countries of the Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC) were involved in the exercise led by Hungary, including Austria, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and the US were also participating,

he said.

Sándor said the R-SOCC last year reached initial operational capability. He said the aim of the Black Swan exercise was for the R-SOCC to deepen that capability and to be able to carry out special operations on the territories of three countries. The command also aims to achieve full operational capability by the end of 2024 and to be able to go on stand-by from 2025, he said.

The 12-day exercise is being held in Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia with some 715 soldiers having carried out more than 40 special operational tasks,

Sándor said. The tasks are being synchronised and led by the Hungarian R-SOCC command, he added.

Hungary international military exercise USA
Photo: MTI

Unlike last year, this year’s exercise also saw the participation of Czech and Romanian troops in the performance of tasks in Hungary, Slovakia and Norway, the major general said.

The exercise mainly covered military areas, but operations were also carried out in 13 civilian areas,

Sándor said.

He said the R-SOCC set up an international, Hungarian-led staff in Szolnok to lead the operations, with the Árpád Bertalan Brigade playing a key role in their execution. The brigade stationed one unit each in Slovakia and Romania for the event, the major general said. Also,

for the first time, Hungary’s counter-terrorism force TEK was included in the exercise,

he added.

Brigadier Rob Stephenson, Deputy Commander of NATO Special Operations Headquarters, attended the exercise, among others.

Hungary international military exercise
Read alsoHere is why you might bump into a lot of US, Polish, Romanian soldiers in Hungary

EU is gradually banning Russian oil imports, but what about Hungary?

leyen

The European Commission is presenting its sixth package of sanctions against Russia, proposing a phased ban on importing oil from the country, which would take effect over a span of six months, along with banning oil products by the end of this year, EC President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

Phasing out Russian oil products gradually would increase pressure on Russia in response to its attack on Ukraine, but mitigate the worldwide economic fallout, Von der Leyen told the plenary session of the European Parliament discussing the the social and economic consequences of the war.

Meanwhile, the EU will impose restrictions on high-ranking Russian military officers who committed war crimes in Bucha or are responsible for the siege of Mariupol, she said.

The EC will also bar Sberbank and another two Russian banks from the international SWIFT payment network, she said.

Three Russian state-owned broadcasters will be banned from all EU platforms and EU accountants and financial advisors will be barred from working for Russian companies, she said.

Von der Leyen said

Putin wanted to wipe Ukraine off the map, adding that he would not succeed, and he would pay a high price for the brutal aggression in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the EU has started drafting a large-scale reconstruction package to boost investment and reforms in Ukraine after the war, along with plans to provide short-term financial and budgetary aid, she said. The package would “pave Ukraine’s way into the EU,” she added.

Sanctions opt-outs

Some EU members are jockeying to opt-out of an oil embargo, and there were divisions over the plan. The proposal was only finalised late at night due to the stance of one of the member states.

Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries will meet on Wednesday to give the plan a once-over, and it will need unanimous approval before going into effect.

The ban on oil imports from Russia would start over six to eight months, with Hungary and Slovakia allowed to take a few months longer, EU officials said.

Hungary

Hungary, which like Slovakia is almost 100% dependent for fuel on Russian crude coming through the Druzbha pipeline, has said it will need several years.

Hungary’s refinery is designed to work with Russian oil and would need to be thoroughly overhauled or replaced to deal with imports from elsewhere – an expensive and lengthy process.

Jobbik MEP Márton Gyöngyösi said in his address that while there was wide-spread consensus on using sanctions to put pressure on Russia, the EU had failed to address its dependence on Russian energy, and to strengthen solidarity among member states.

Besides focusing on dependence from Russia as a source of fossil fuel energy, Gyöngyösi proposed that EU member states should also terminate their contracts with Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company.

Hungary should terminate its agreement on the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, he said.

Slovakia

Slovakia said the same, they will need a few years and huge developments to change to Russian oil.

Domino effect?

As some EU officials said, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic could also seek sanctions opt-outs.

But the experts warned that granting exemptions to one or two highly-dependent states could trigger a domino effect of exemption demands that would undermine the embargo.

Oil embargo against Russia: big relief for Hungary

oil-rig

A European Union embargo on Russian oil is looking increasingly likely. According to our latest information, three countries, including Hungary, are withdrawing their vetoes. What triggers these moves can easily be Germany’s influence. The European Commission’s proposal would ban Russian oil products in the EU by the end of 2022. However, Hungary and Slovakia could get certain exemptions and transitional measures.

A reversal of position on the Russian oil embargo

According to ZDF, there is now nothing standing in the way of the European Union regarding its decision on blocking the Russian oil embargo.

Hungary, Austria and Slovakia have withdrawn their vetoes.

According to a senior EU diplomat, the critical factor was that the German government would not put the brakes on the embargo. “There will be a decision on the embargo in the next few days, but it will only be implemented in the next couple of months,” said Florian Neuhann, a correspondent for ZDF.

Hungary and Slovakia have opposed a rapid import ban because they are highly dependent on Russian oil,

writes portfolio.hu. Southern European countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece fear a post-embargo energy price hike. The German turnaround may have come about because of the country’s success in finding alternative oil suppliers.

Germany has reduced its dependence on Russian oil from 35 per cent to 12 per cent within 8 weeks since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Restricting Russian oil imports can be achieved in two ways. There could be a longer transition period before a permanent halt. However, it is also likely that instead of a complete ban, there would only be a restriction on the quantity.

Hungarian and Slovak facilitation

Several compromises could be reached on the Russian oil embargo. There would certainly be time for adaptation and adjustment.  It would not be an overnight total ban.

The EU oil embargo would distinguish between Russian oil types and oil derivatives.

It would also make a difference whether the oil comes to the EU by tanker or pipeline. Most of the oil delivered to Hungary and Slovakia arrives through the Friendships pipeline, index.hu reports. The EU apparently aims to take into account the specific needs of each member state when designing the oil embargo package.

The Hungarian government has made it clear to Brussels that the Hungarian veto was not political but economic.

Orbán cabinet continues to reject gas and oil embargo on Russia

Fuel station

Hungary’s stance regarding embargoes on Russia oil and gas has not changed, “we do not support them”, Zoltan Kovacs, the state secretary for international communications, said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Kovács reacted to the German ZDF television channel’s reports on Hungary, Slovakia and Austria withdrawing their veto blocking sanctions on Russian crude oil imports into the European Union.

Citing a high-ranking EU official,

ZDF said that Germany’s announcement to support the veto had tipped the balance, with all EU countries now in favour of stopping the imports of Russian crude oil, as a punitive measure in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The EU aims to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas by two-thirds by the end of the year and to zero by the end of 2027, EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni has said.

MOL

The Hungarian oil group, which operates three refineries in Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia, continues to buy Russian crude via Druzhba pipeline, as well as refined products, says Reuters.

The company said

it would take two to four years and cost between $500 and $700 million to replace Russian oil imports in case of a full European embargo.

Hungary and other V4 countries are in the top 12 investment destinations of the world!

Balloon in Budapest travel tourism

Cooperation among the four Visegrád Group countries based on mutual respect is more important today in all areas of the economy including competition law, the Hungarian foreign ministry’s state secretary said addressing the V4 Competition Law Conference in Budapest on Wednesday.

The V4 countries are at the forefront of a global competition for investment with all of them listed among the top 12 investment destinations, Tamás Vargha told the event. Hungary’s trade turnover with its other three V4 partners of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia last year amounted to 35.5 billion euros which provides a solid base for their cooperation, Vargha said.

The state secretary highlighted the importance of acting in unity to provide help to Ukraine and in tackling migration.

“When there is a crisis caused by a pandemic and a war, stable relations gain importance which is why one of the main goals of Hungary’s current V4 presidency is to strengthen the region economically,” said Vargha.

He underlined the importance of active cooperation between the V4 countries in the area of competition law to allow the investigation of violations in cross-border investments, joint ventures and outsourcing, noting that unfair market practices had become increasingly common.

Market in Hungary
Read alsoAverage gross wage in Hungary was almost 1,500 EUR in February

Polish and Slovak prime ministers: Hungary’s neutrality is outrageous!

Mateusz Morawiecki Polish prime minister

Slovak PM Eduard Heger and Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki both criticised Hungary in recent days. The two leaders criticised Hungary’s position on the war in Ukraine. The two leaders of V4 member countries said Hungary’s opposition to sanctions against Russia was outrageous.

Criticism from the allies

Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger wants tougher sanctions against Russia over the war against Ukraine. Heger held talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the Slovak town of Stara Lubovna. The Polish head of state agreed with his Slovak counterpart.

In other words, Poland and Slovakia are disappointed by the Hungarian attitude.

Hungary is not willing to supply arms to Ukraine. In addition, military units carrying weapons are not allowed to transit through Hungary.

Morawiecki says it is outrageous that Hungary and Germany are protesting against sanctions against Russia.

These remarks show that the gap between Hungary and the other countries in the Visegrád Four is widening, portfolio.hu reports. While Hungary remains neutral, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia are supplying Ukraine with heavy weapons. The Russian-Ukrainian war could easily drive a wedge between the allies.

Slovenia as the last ally?

Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Jansa is a conservative SDS politician and a great ally of Viktor Orbán. However, Slovenia holds parliamentary elections on 24 April.

Jansa may be replaced precisely because of his good relationship with Orbán.

Napi.hu reports that the latest opinion polls show that the centre-left party Slovoda is slightly more likely to win than SDS. Many voters fear the “Hungarisation” of Slovenia. This means that Jansa is ignoring criticism and influences the independent media. Slovenia’s GDP and labour market have returned to pre-coronavirus levels. Thus, analysts say that a crucial policy question could be what pattern the country wants to follow.

“If SDS wins the election, the Slovenian media could become similar to what the current Hungarian media is like,”

said Uros Esih, a journalist for the daily Delo. If Jansa does not win the election, Hungary will have one less ally in the European Union.

Gravestones vandalised in Jewish cemetery near Budapest – PHOTOS

Budakeszi Jewish cemetery

Gravestones in a Jewish cemetery in Budakeszi, on the outskirts of the capital, were vandalised early Saturday.

The Pest County Police told MTI the vandalism was reported on Saturday morning and an investigation was launched. Information is being collected and all efforts are being made to identify and arrest the perpetrators, the police said.

About half of the already dilapidated headstones in the cemetery were knocked over or smashed, according to press reports.

Photo: FB
Photo: FB
Photo: FB

Minister: government following ‘unusual’ events in Slovakia’s domestic politics

The Hungarian government is following closely the “unusual” events in Slovakia’s domestic politics, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told MTI on Saturday. Szijjártó said that, according to press reports, efforts are being made to put the opposition leader behind bars, which “warrants closer attention than usual”.

Slovakia’s national criminal agency NAKA has launched a procedure against Robert Fico, the former prime minister and current leader of the opposition Social Democrats (Smer-SD), and his former interior minister Robert Kalinak on suspicion of setting up and supporting a criminal group and abuse of office.

Fico said at a press conference on Saturday that the charges were baseless and politically motivated.

bomb threats
Read alsoBudapest has been under constant bomb threats for several days

New accommodations for Hungarian intellectual hub in Slovakia inaugurated!

New accommodations in Slovakia

Hungarian-language education is key to the future of the nation, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad said in Martovce (Martos), in southern Slovakia, on Friday.

“Our mother tongue is the source of all of our values and strength,” Árpád János Potápi said at the inauguration of new accommodations at the Esterházy Academy built with support from the Hungarian government. “We trust that the newly-inaugurated buildings will strengthen the appeal of the intellectual hub being created in Martovce.”

Potápi said the Esterházy Academy was part of an institutional system that had been built over the last 12 years, noting that it

offered Hungarian-language education from the pre-school to the university level.

“With the academy, we have opened a gateway to public life for future generations,” Potápi said, adding that a strong presence in public life and a commitment to national values guaranteed that ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia could remain in their homeland.

The operator of the Esterházy Academy, the Marthos Civic Association, received a total of 25 million forints (EUR 67,400) in support from the Hungarian government during the two years of 2020 and 2021, Potápi said.

queen elizabeth ii
Read alsoElizabeth II is 96 years old today: here is how she is 1/16 Hungarian – PHOTOS, VIDEO

Hungary, Slovakia lay cornerstone of new bridge on River Ipoly

New bridge Hungary Slovakia Ipoly river

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Igor Matovic on Wednesday laid the cornerstone of a new bridge spanning the River Ipoly between Dregelypalank and Ipelske Predmostie (Ipolyhídvég).

Addressing the ceremony, Szijjártó said the 2.6 billion forint (EUR 7.0m) bridge will be open to both passenger and freight traffic. Szijjártó noted that the 50m bridge will spare travellers a 20km detour.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said the government interpreted the outcome of the April 3 general election, in which the incumbent parties won a fourth successive supermajority, as a reinforcement of Hungary’s foreign policy, which he said was based on building mutually beneficial relations with neighbouring countries.

“We have put in a lot of effort over the last twelve years into building shared success stories with our neighbours,”

Szijjártó said. “The more links we have between us, the better we know each other, and the greater interest we have in each other’s success, the less reason we will have for disagreements or disputes.”

Whereas in 2010 Hungary and Slovakia had just 23 public road links between their borders, they now have 35, and six more will be established by the end of next year, Szijjártó said.

The two countries will build three bridges over the Ipoly and one over the Danube, as well as a ferry and a road crossing,

he noted. Furthermore, Hungary and Slovakia have linked their electricity grids and gas pipelines, he said, adding that this was especially important given Europe’s current energy supply crisis.

As regards trade ties, Szijjártó said bilateral trade turnover reached a record 13 billion euros last year, a 27 percent increase from 2020. Trade turnover was up 56 percent in January this year, he added. The minister said

Slovakia had become Hungary’s second most important trading partner and the fourth most important investment destination for Hungarian businesses.

Szijjártó said Hungary and Slovakia were aiming to boost their relations on the basis of mutual respect. He said

Matovic was a “friend of Hungarians”

who “fully understands the physical and symbolic meaning of the construction of bridges between the two countries”.

Matovic welcomed the new link between the two countries, underscoring the value of peaceful relations today. “I firmly believe that a shared peaceful future awaits us,” he said.

Read alsoAmerican diplomat: Putin wants to conquer Hungary

American diplomat: Putin wants to conquer Hungary

W. Robert Pearson, a former US ambassador to Turkey, published an unsettling article on Russian President Putin’s alleged goals concerning the Eastern-European region. He claims that Putin wants to restore the former glory of Russia. Therefore, he wants to “claw back for his imperial Russia: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, with Moldova leaning West, non-NATO and yet on Putin’s list.”

Hungary on Putin’s list?

Mr Pearson shared his opinion on the relevant issue on thehill.com. According to Wikipedia, in 2020, this site was the largest independent political news portal in the United States. Pearson serves as the president of American Diplomacy Publishers Inc. Moreover, he is a scholar at the Middle East Institute and a fellow at Duke University Center for International and Global Studies/Rethinking Diplomacy. He served twice at NATO during the end of the Cold War, at the time of Germany’s reunification, and he was also responsible for accepting new members of the Alliance.

The former US ambassador to Turkey is an opinion contributor, and he shared some paragraphs on the news website regarding Putin’s ultimate goals concerning Eastern Europe.

His title is thought-provoking: NATO must decide European security beyond the Ukraine war.

It asserts that the military block has more tasks on the European “front” than supplying Ukraine with the necessary weapons, intelligence and information to make Kyiv able to withstand Russian aggression.

Putin to reestablish the Iron Curtain?

Pearson writes that international media did not notice Turkish President Erdogan’s chief advisor and spokesman’s March 17 statement: “after this war, there will have to be a new security architecture established between Russia and the Western bloc.” He quotes Thomas Bagger, a senior German diplomat, who said that Putin was thinking in categories of a 1,000-year empire. “You cannot deter someone like that with sanctions.”

“NATO frontline states form a concave arc across the heart of Europe from the Baltic approaches to St. Petersburg to the mouth of the Danube. That is the territory Putin intends to claw back for his imperial Russia: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, with Moldova leaning West, non-NATO and yet on Putin’s list” –

the US diplomat writes.

Without security, there will be no prosperous economy

He argues that Putin will bolster Russia’s military presence as far west as possible. He will try to intimidate the Baltic states, Poland and Germany. Furthermore, Putin will try to drag Minsk as close as possible. Moreover, he will try to make Russia’s military presence in Belarus semi-permanent, like in Syria and Kazakhstan. Pearson says that demanding the non-NATO Ukraine is just the first step. “One of the clearest lessons of modern European history is that leaders of democracies should believe what dictators and autocrats say they plan to do” – the former US ambassador to Turkey claims.

Sanctions will not be successful for NATO or the USA if Russia does not retreat from Ukraine. Otherwise, there will only be a new frozen conflict. Pearson says that Europe cannot be free and economically prosperous without the security of its member states.

This is not the first time an ambassador suggests that Hungary is on Putin’s list. Lyubov Nepop, the Ukrainian ambassador to Hungary, said in late March that Hungary was the next target of the Russian president – 168 óra reported.

NATO soldiers command centre
Read alsoHere is why NATO could kick out Hungary at any time!

Commemoration of post-WW2 deportees from Czechoslovakia was held in Budapest

Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, addressed a commemoration of ethnic Hungarians deported from Czechoslovakia after the second world war under the Benes decrees, in Budapest on Tuesday.

In 2012, Hungary’s parliament declared April 12 the memorial day of deportees, marking the anniversary of the start of deportations in 1947.

In his address, Gulyás called the deportation “a rather painful chapter” in the period that saw retaliation, ethnic cleansing and collective punishment after the end of the war.

“If we want to live on, we need strong communities that create values and we need strong localities where Hungarian life thrives instead of waning,” Gulyás told the commemoration hosted by the Rákoczi Alliance. He called “the ability to survive and restart” one of the most important characteristics of the Hungarian nation.

Gyula Bárdos, the head of the Hungarian Social and Cultural Association of Slovakia (Csemadok), said that

the forced political deportations to Hungary had affected more than 89,000 Hungarians who had not received any sort of compensation since.

Csongor Csáky, the head of the Rákoczi Alliance, said that

according to Slovakia‘s census conducted last year, 422,775 people self-identified as Hungarian and another 34,089 people also indicated their identity as Hungarian along with another nationality. The census’s data also showed an increase of local Hungarian residents at 80 localities, he said.

The Benes decrees passed immediately after the second world war deprived Czechoslovakia’s ethnic Hungarians and Germans of their citizenship and property on the basis of collective guilt.

As we wrote yesterday, Slovak Government Spokesperson said, Putin and Orbán may divide Slovakia’s borders, details HERE.

Hungarian government will not vote for any curbs on Russian oil and gas imports

Whereas the government backs fresh European Union support of 500 million euros for the Ukrainian army, Hungary is maintaining its policy of refusing to supply arms to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Attending a meeting of the foreign ministers of the C5 format of the central European countries — Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia — Szijjarto told a press conference after the meeting that Hungary supported Ukraine’s sovereignty, and he also noted that more than 600,000 refugees have so far arrived in Hungary from Ukraine. The Hungarian authorities are providing care and accommodation, as well as work and education for those in need, he said, addding that the government had implemented Hungary’s largest ever humanitarian aid operation.

“We’re doing all this, even though the European Union is withholding funds from Hungary for purely political reasons,” he said.

The government, he added, has backed all five EU sanctions packages so far, but Hungary’s energy security was a “red line”. Hungary will not vote for any curbs on Russian oil and gas imports, he said.

“We have worked hard towards diversification and we’ll carry on with this, but must ensure supplies are guaranteed in the meantime,” Szijjártó said.

Referring to the recent general election, he said the Hungarian electorate had expressed their desire to live in peace and security and to keep Hungary out of the war. Accordingly, Hungary will stick to its position of not supplying arms to Ukraine, he said.

“We understand that other countries have decided otherwise, and we respect that — we haven’t even commented — but we expect our decision to be respected,” the minister said.

The meeting was also attended by Alexander Schallenberg of Austria, Jan Lipavsky of the Czech Republic, Ivan Korcok of Slovakia and Anze Logar of Slovenia.

Read also:

Slovak Government Spokesperson: Putin and Orbán may divide Slovakia’s borders

Hungary Slovakia bridge infrastructure

Boris Kollár, Slovak Government Spokesperson, fears that Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán will redraw Slovakia’s borders. While in the Czech Republic, the following question arose in connection with the Hungarian election: will the V4 continue its cooperation in the region? The conflict between the Hungarian Government and other countries in connection with the Russia-Ukraine war seems to escalate further.

Slovak Government Spokesperson is concerned

In a television debate on Sunday at noon, Boris Kollár, Slovak Government Spokesperson, expressed his concerns. According to Kollár

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and Russian President Putin may want to break up Slovakia.

Russian aggression could disrupt peace in the EU. According to the Slovak Government Spokesperson, Orbán could take advantage of this. In addition, Kollár fears the threatening pieces of information coming from Hungary.

“They talk about Greater Hungary, they buy real estate from us, they hand out passports! This is not a joke,”

said Kollár angrily. The Hungarian Government had previously purchased real estate in Kosice (Kassa), about which the Slovak leadership only learned from the press. As a result of the Slovak protest, Hungary has abandoned its takeover plans, writes index.hu.

Read more: Minister: ‘Hungary’s energy supplies secure’

Will the V4 cooperation end?

In the Czech Republic, politicians and experts have questioned whether the Hungarian elections could put an end to V4 cooperation since Hungary and the other countries in the region have a completely different approach toward the Ukrainian war. Jan Lipavský, Czech Foreign Minister, believes that

the Hungarian Government must make it clear whether they side with NATO/EU or Russia.

According to the expert, the Hungarian leadership is taking ambiguous steps. Fidesz votes for the sanctions against Russia yet stays away from the war conflict and avoids making a definite statement. Due to that behaviour, many people believe that the Hungarian Government’s communication may change after the elections, writes napi.hu.

The mission of the Visegrád 4, which includes the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, is to work together in a number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration. According to political scientist Pavlína Janebová, the V4 does benefit each country individually, therefore, it would be no use to end it. However, when it comes to significant issues the cooperation does not seem to be fruitful.

Read more: Breaking – NATO wants a permanent military presence on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border

These heads of government congratulated Orbán on his election victory – UPDATE

PM orbán

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance’s victory in Hungary’s general election, the Kremlin’s press office said.

Putin

Putin said he hoped that “despite the difficult international situation, bilateral partnership ties will develop fully in line with the interests of the people of Russia and Hungary,” the statement said.

Morawiecki

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a press conference that the results of Hungary’s democratic election should be respected.

“Regardless of our relations with Hungary, we must note that the Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance won its fourth consecutive election with the best possible results, securing a two-thirds majority in the process,” he said.

Concerning sanctions against Russia, the Polish prime minister said “Hungary should not be used as a diversion” by the media when Germany had delayed strong sanctions. The European Union is not hindered in imposing more stringent sanctions by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban but rather “by large countries looking out for their business ties,” he said, noting that Orban had so far voted for all sanctions.

Answering a question, Morawiecki said he would ask Orban to support even stricter sanctions against Russia.

Zeman

Later on Monday, Czech President Milos Zeman wired a message of congratulation to Orban, saying “the Hungarian people support you because you have always put their interests first, and see serving your country as a calling.”

He praised Hungarian-Czech cooperation, and called for the Visegrad Group to be given high priority. “I am convinced that central Europe has great potential in bilateral and international cooperation,” he said.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said he hoped Hungary would “take a more active part” in finding a solution to the situation in Ukraine. “Europe has to be united its support of Ukraine, where Russia is committing war crimes,” he said.

Jansa

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa congratulated Orban and Fidesz in a tweet “on this historic victory for Hungary, Europe and the entire free world.”

Fice

Former Slovak President Robert Fico, the head of the opposition Smer-SD party, said Orban had “very clearly” built on Hungary’s independence and economic prosperity. Orban puts Hungarian interests first, and did not allow the country to be “dragged into” the conflict in Ukraine, he said.

Fico said the election results in Hungary were “not surprising at all”, and he noted that during his presidency, he and Orban had worked together to ensure stable Hungarian-Slovak ties.

Other leaders

Later on Monday that numerous other heads of state and government have also congratulated Orban. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu called him by phone on Monday, as did Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India congratulated Orbán on Twitter and Li Keqiang of China wired a message of congratulations.

 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, among others, published statements.

Read more news about 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election

UPDATE

Brothers of Italy

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, congratulated Orban on his “remarkable victory”, saying Brussels needed to respect the will of the Hungarian voters.

She said “not even the disorderly election concourse of the entirety of the left and the … far right” had been enough to “defeat the Hungarian prime minister”. Meloni said Orban had been criticised for years “for his policies of protecting the borders and the concept of the family”, but “no one has thanked him for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees taken in over the last few weeks”.

Minister: Hungary’s left and Ukraine agreed to drag Hungary into war

Péter Szijjártó on the NATO summit

The Russia-Ukraine war is “not Hungary’s war”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after talks with NATO counterparts in Bratislava on Thursday. The Hungarian government will do everything it can to protect Hungarians from the conflict, he said.

Hungary is sticking to its policy of not sending weapons to Ukraine or allowing the transit of lethal aid across its territory, while opposing sanctions on Russian oil and gas, Szijjártó said. The foreign ministers of the Bucharest Nine countries — Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary — condemned the military aggression at the meeting, stating that they wanted to live in peace, Szijjártó said.

Szijjártó told his counterparts about

“an agreement between Hungary’s left wing and Ukraine”

which, he insisted, entailed weapons being sent to Ukraine if it won Sunday’s general election. “This is unacceptable and runs contrary to the interests of the Hungarian people and the country’s security,” he said, adding that the transport of weapons would risk Hungary being dragged into the war.

While “it is in Ukraine’s interest that Hungary should have a left-wing government that sends weapons”, Hungary must ensure security for its people, the minister said.

Szijjártó said there was a “strong pressure” on the European Union to impose sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports, and he was “aware that the Hungarian left wing would support those sanctions”, but this was a “red line” for the government, he added, as such sanctions could seriously jeopardise Hungary’s energy supplies and its economy.

The minister also said Hungary was implementing

“the largest aid programme in its history”

in which several hundred tonnes of food and toiletry products have been sent to Ukraine and 548,000 refugees have been accommodated in Hungary.

Hungary respects the decision of countries that send weapons to Ukraine, but in turn it expects them to respect its decision against facilitating such transports itself, Szijjártó said.

Zelenskiy Budapest Hungary Denmark address
Read alsoZelenskiy: Europe should not listen to any excuses from Budapest! – VIDEO

V4 cooperation to freeze? Czechs, Poles remain home, Hungary cancels defence meeting

Visegrád Four

Hungary would have hosted the next defence meeting of the Visegrád Four cooperation consisting of Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. However, the Poles and the Czechs already cleared they would not come because of the Ukraine policy of the Hungarian government. As it is well-known, Warsaw and Prague are among the hardliners regarding Putin’s war against Russia.

Anti-Russia, pro-Russia?

Poland even offered its MIG-29 warplanes to Ukraine, but the United States baulked that plan fast. However, two days before, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Washington supported the idea. Therefore, it is up to Warsaw now whether they will send those planes or not. The Czech Republic is also among the hardliners when it comes to sanctions against Russia. For example, they would like to implement sanctions on Russian energy. Furthermore, both nations support weapon transports toward Ukraine though the Czechs do not share a border with the war-stricken country.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian government said they would not support the extension of sanctions on Russian energy because that would mean rising heating prices and Hungary’s industrial breakdown. In that respect, Budapest follows Berlin’s standpoint. Furthermore, the Orbán government does not allow lethal military equipment to cross the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. They say such shipments would endanger the Hungarian minority that lives on the Ukrainian side.

Defence meeting postponed

We wrote earlier that János Áder was supposed to visit the city of Bochnia in Poland on 23rd March, on the occasion of the day of Polish-Hungarian friendship. However, the Hungarian president did not go because the Polish president did not want to meet with him because of Hungary’s standpoint regarding the Russian invasion.

Blikk.hu wrote today that Hungary is to cancel the defence meeting of the Visegrád Four countries planned for this Wednesday in Budapest. Both the Czech and the Polish governments cleared they would not come since they disagree with the Orbán cabinet’s Ukraine policy.

According to the information from the Slovakian Ministry of Defence, Hungary received harsh criticism from Poland and the Czech Republic. Wojciech Skurkiewicz, the Polish Deputy Minister of Defence, said that observing what goes around the V4 cooperation does not give a reason for optimism. 

The Czech Minister of Defence, Jana Černochová, cancelled the defence meeting in Budapest last Friday. Her Polish colleague, Mariusz Błaszczak, did the same Monday evening. “I am very sorry that cheap Russian oil is more important for Hungarian politicians than Ukrainian blood” – Černochová said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said it was hard to understand PM Orbán’s attitude towards Ukraine. The Polish Foreign Minister added Orbán made a mistake regarding its Russia and Ukraine policy. 

 

Putin Orbán Russian gas disgraceful role
Read alsoIs Orbán really Putin’s lapdog? Here is what Hungary does and does not do for Ukraine

Could Hungary’s gas supply hold? Here is the worst case scenario!

Natural Gas Refinery Gas Supply

Despite the ongoing war in its neighbourhood, Hungary’s energy supply is stable. Both natural gas and electricity demand are fully covered by domestic systems. Still, competent authorities are prepared for every scenario.

In mid-March, the Moldovan and Ukrainian energy systems were successfully connected to the continental European system to help supply energy to the regions. Ukraine was disconnected from the Russian and Belarusian networks for a long-planned test run on the very day the war broke out (24th February), but the reconnection could not take place.

Ukraine’s original plan was to be connected to the European synchronous system in 2024, until then it would have been tested to see if it can independently maintain the 50 Hz, a prerequisite for European connectivity. However, the war changed the scenario and the two-year preparation period was reduced to two weeks – reported by Magyar Nemzet.

The European system operators and regulators have been working hard to find a solution to the technical and regulatory issues of interconnection and to meet the two countries’ emergency synchronisation requests.

Finally, on 16th March, the trial synchronisation of the European system and the Ukrainian and Moldovan systems could start, which will greatly support the stability of the Ukrainian-Moldovan electricity system and the security of the population’s supply. As the Hungarian news portal Blikk reports, further hard work is needed to maintain the power balance of the electricity system, and the costs of emergency synchronisation will have to be shared between the European Member States.

Hungary

In Hungary, the gas demand is met by the combination of domestic production and imports. The latter is constantly monitored and the contracted quantities of gas are currently being delivered through six interconnectors.

In addition, there are also 1.25 billion cubic metres of gas in storage.

This level is more than sufficient for the season. Out of this, 900 million is the strategic stock that might remain untouched this year, based on the foreseen scenarios. „Considering the principle of solidarity, we should help our neighbours if their population is in trouble with the natural gas supply, but only if the help does not cause any disadvantage to the Hungarian population.

But so far, no such request has been received from anywhere,”- said Pál Ságvári, Vice President for International Relations of the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority (MEKH),

The expert also pointed out that the gas currently being transported outwards on the Ukrainian-Hungarian gas pipelines, is from the West and not from Hungary’s storage facilities.

Worst-case scenario

Although the Ukrainian backbone network has not been damaged so far, Hungary is prepared for every possible scenario. Since October, Hungary has been receiving significant quantities of gas from Austria and Slovakia. In addition, gas from the LNG terminal in Croatia or the Turkish Stream going through the Serbian-Hungarian pipeline could be an additional source.

We should not forget the 900 million cubic metres of strategic stock either which was mentioned previously. Further good news is that the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline will be ready for the next heating season that will bring gas from Turkey and the Caspian Sea region.

The vice president pointed out that

Hungary has made significant infrastructure developments in the field of natural gas in recent years, and has gas pipeline connections with six of its seven neighbours.

Nevertheless, Russian gas is flowing in all of them, so we need to work on its long-term replacement. To this end, initiatives have been launched at EU level on voluntary joint purchasing of gas and mandatory 90 per cent refilling of storage facilities.

Nuclear War Nuclear Outbreak Nuclear Fallout
Read alsoCould the Hungarian nuclear power plant withstand an attack?

Environmental catastrophe approaching Hungary on River Sajó? – PHOTOS

Environmental catastrophe River Sajó Slovakia Hungary

Örs Orosz has posted some shocking images on his Facebook page recently. The representative of the council of Nyitra county in Slovakia said that an environmental disaster might approach Hungary on Sajó. Shockingly, the river has been red on its Slovakian segment for two weeks. Find out why in the article.

Red mud has been flowing into River Sajó for two weeks

The Ajka alumina plant accident or the so-called “red mud catastrophe” in 2010 was one of the biggest environmental disasters in Hungary. An industrial accident at a caustic waste reservoir chain took place at the Ajkai Timföldgyár alumina plant. On 4 October 2010, the northwestern corner of the dam of reservoir number 10 collapsed, freeing approximately one million cubic metres (35 million cubic feet) of liquid waste from red mud lakes.

The mud was released as a 1–2 m (3–7 ft) wave, flooding several nearby localities, including the village of Kolontár and the town of Devecser. Ten people died, and 150 people were injured. About 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) of land were initially affected. The spill reached the Danube on 7 October 2010.

Authorities investigating

Örs Orosz, a representative of Nyitra county council in Slovakia, shared photos depicting the River Sajó, which is currently red from a similar mud released into it. The civil rights activist added that the polluted water is approaching Hungary. The source of it is the iron ore mine in Alsósajó. He even gave the exact place where the red mix enters the Sajó, the former site of the Siderit company – oagroinform.hu reported.

Here are some photos Örs Orosz published:

Environmental catastrophe River Sajó Slovakia Hungary

Environmental catastrophe River Sajó Slovakia Hungary

Allegedly, the river’s iron level exceeds 2,000 times the limit. Furthermore, there is a large amount of sulphur in the river.

As a result, the once crystal clear water turned into a deadly mixture of iron and sulphur, killing animals and insects. 

Environmental catastrophe River Sajó Slovakia Hungary

Environmental catastrophe River Sajó Slovakia Hungary

Environmental catastrophe approaching Hungary?

Mr Orosz said that Slovakian authorities are investigating the issue, and he notified their Hungarian counterpart because the Sajó River flows to Hungary into the Tisza River. Meanwhile, comments under Mr Orosz’s post say that the local radio denies or does not acknowledge the severity of the pollution. Others claimed that the authorities were already investigating and hoped the red mud could be stopped.

On 13th March, Mr Orosz shared the first official Slovakian analysis of the river’s water. The sample was taken on 24th February, so he argued that authorities had been hiding information about the pollution since then. He added that 2.4 tonnes of polluted liquid flew into the river every day. For example, there is poisonous arsenic in the river. Its level exceeds 187 times the limit in Slovakia and 2,600 times the river’s usual content. 

Environmental catastrophe River Sajó Slovakia Hungary

In a follow-up post today, the local activist said that the red colour disappears from the river’s water in Tornalja, near the Hungarian-Slovakian border. Hydrologists cleared that the pollution diluted seven times thanks to the tributaries Csermosnya, Murány, and Rima.

Environmental catastrophe River Sajó Slovakia Hungary
Read alsoEnvironmental catastrophe approaching Hungary on River Sajó? – PHOTOS