Zloty to strengthen, koruna to remain stable, forint to get weaker?
At the same time as equity markets are busily searching for the answer to whether Wall Street is entering a slump, the strength of the recent reshuffle has weakened on the currency market. In the CEE3 group of currencies: the zloty has lost momentum, but it still has room to strengthen later this year, the Czech koruna should remain stable, and the forint, which has depreciated strongly recently, may go down even further.
The Czech koruna was dragged into trouble in May by the announcement of changes coming to the position of the central bank governor. Only currency interventions halted the dynamic rise of the EUR/CZK exchange rate towards 25.50. As it turns out, these were mainly verbal interventions, and the sale of foreign currencies on the market was carried out on a limited scale. The effectiveness of these actions was largely due to the credibility that the Czech National Bank (CNB) had built up over the years in the eyes of investors. As a result, the Czech koruna made up virtually all of the sharp depreciation.
What do the Czech and Swiss national banks have in common?
Ales Michl’s appointment to lead the central bank carries the risk of a less severe fight against inflation and a softer policy. Much will depend on still unknown additional staff changes to complete the shuffle in the monetary authority.
“Regardless of these potential changes to CNB structures, we forecast that although the koruna’s strength peak is likely to be behind it, the EUR/CZK exchange rate will remain below 25.00 for the rest of the year. The more powerful and persistent inflationary pressures in the Czech Republic (the CPI reading for April was 14.2% y/y), the stronger the preference for the koruna to be stronger. The CNB, along with the Swiss Central Bank, is the most active in Europe in seeking to influence the exchange rate to achieve its policy objectives. Comparing the situation of the CZK and the zloty: the zloty has more room to strengthen later this year, while the koruna should remain stable,” says Bartosz Sawicki, Conotoxia market analyst.
A market review of the Hungarian government’s plans
The forint is in a completely different situation. Since yesterday it has been heavily overvalued, and in relation to the zloty, it has lost 3% in recent days. The EUR/HUF exchange rate is only 1% away from the peaks recorded during the panic sell-off after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. For comparison: the euro is much closer to this year’s lows (4.48 PLN) than to the record-high level of 5 PLN reached at that time.
“The source of the forint’s troubles are the Hungarian authorities’ further unconventional and even shocking ideas.
Calling for a state of emergency, the Hungarian government is planning to introduce additional taxes to be imposed on banks, retail chains and the energy sector, among others. International investors immediately review such ideas through currency sell-offs. The Hungarian economy has been the least balanced and has been structurally the weakest in the region for years. At the moment, wages and prices are spiralling even more strongly there than in Poland. Relations with the EU are even worse, and the prospects of taming inflation are the least realistic. Therefore, a negative approach is taken to the forint. The Hungarian currency may be the weakest and the most unstable in the CEE3 group (Central Eastern Europe 3), especially if the global stagflation scenario comes true, i.e. a combination of high inflation and anaemic economic growth,” says the Conotoxia analyst.
Read alsoHungarian economist: this is why the forint will continue to weaken
Police arrested nine groups of African, Asian illegal migrants!
Hungarian, Czech and Austrian police arrested 177 illegal migrants entering Hungary in Csongrád-Csanád county in nine groups at night, the Hungarian police website said.
The illegal entrants apprehended in outlying areas of Roszke, Asotthalom and Morahalom identified themselves as nationals of Pakistan, Syria, Somalia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia.
Police: Close to 10,000 refugees arrive from Ukraine on Thursday
Meanwhile, fully 5,341 people crossed into Hungary directly from Ukraine on Thursday, while another 4,232 from Ukraine crossed from Romania, the national police headquarters said. Police issued temporary residence permits valid for thirty days to 305 people, the police website said on Friday.
Holders of such permits must contact a local immigration office near their place of residence within thirty days to apply for permanent documents, it added. Budapest police received 259 refugees, 102 children among them, arriving by train, according to the municipal police website.
Government to create a crisis-proof economy?
The draft budget for next year submitted to the Fiscal Council sets a stricter deficit target of 3.5 percent of GDP and the public debt level of 73.8 percent, Mihály Varga, the finance minister, said on Friday. Varga said in a comment posted on social media that the government’s aim was to create a crisis-proof economy.
The economy is expected to grow by 4.1 percent in 2023,
he said. The minister said the government is establishing a special protection fund as a bulwark against the effects of the war and the related European Union sanctions, as well as higher energy prices.
Featured image: illustration
Read alsoHungary’s fuel purchase restriction on foreigners – details here
President: ties between motherland, Hungarians outside of borders ‘inseverable’
President Katalin Novák said the ties between the motherland and Hungarians living outside of the country’s borders are “inseverable”, speaking at the unveiling of a statue of Gábor Bethlen, the prince of Transylvania in its golden age, in Alba Iulia (Gyulafehérvár) on Saturday.
“We will never sever the umbilical cord between the motherland and the Hungarians torn away, and we will never let it be severed,” Novák said. “Gábor Bethlen and the golden age of Transylvania will not be let go, so too we will not let go of each other,” she added.
Novák said that Hungarians living in Transylvania can play a role in Romania’s advancement if they preserve their identity.
More foreign leaders congratulate Orbán on re-election
The prime ministers of Belgium, Malta, the Czech Republic and Romania, and the president of Serbia have congratulated Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on his re-election, the PM’s press chief said on Saturday. Alexander de Croo pointed to further opportunities to develop bilateral ties between Hungary and Belgium. He noted that the sides would need to work together when Hungary takes over from Belgium the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2024.
Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed the importance of continued cooperation in the European Council based on “shared priorities and interests”.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala welcomed Hungary’s solidarity with Europe on the matter of Ukraine and acknowledged that the war has made the issue of energy security “among the most important challenges” facing Europe.
Nicolae Ciuca, the prime minister of Romania, highlighted the importance of deepening cooperation within NATO and the EU.
Aleksandar Vucic said in his congratulatory letter that Serbia and Hungary would “continue to fight for the shared values and interests of their citizens”.
Read alsoRomanian and Hungarian ice hockey players sang together the Szekler national anthem!
Orbán, Bolsonaro, Farage addressed US conservative conf in Budapest
Former Republican senator Rick Santorum, British politician Nigel Farage, and Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in their addresses to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest on Thursday, emphasised their faith in God and their values based on patriotism and the family.
Santorum said people today were focused on their own pleasures and considered marriage and having children things that limited their freedom. He voiced agreement with Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s view that faith should be treated as a priority.
He congratulated Hungary on its support for families and the church by having the courage to speak the truth.
In a video message to the conference, Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party, praised Hungary’s achievements.
“We all want to
work together as sovereign states,”
he said. “We’ll have different views on things. We’ll have different views, perhaps, about Russia, about oil,” he added. “But, we have common values. We believe in the integrity of our societies. We believe in the Judeo-Christian culture that underpins literally everything that Western civilisation represents, and we know we’re fighting a war against those who want to destroy everything. And it’s those things that bring us together in unity.”
Eduardo Bolsonaro, a member of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, said in a video message that CPAC Hungary was the right place for conservatives to discuss what they wanted to accomplish. Bolsonaro said that “very sadly”,
conservatives were only in power in Hungary, Brazil “and some other few countries”.
This, he said, showed that the “lies” of the left were working. “Because if we have the opportunity to say the truth, we will win all the debates and we will bring liberty to all of the countries,” he said.
- Read also: Hungarian diplomat escorted by police in Brazil – huge crowd shouted she was racist! – VIDEOS
Furthermore, state secretary for international communications and relations Zoltán Kovács, former Czech President and Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and, in a video message, member of the US House of Representatives Mike Waltz addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest on Thursday.
Kovács said reality was the most important ally for conservatives. “Our social policies, political preparatory work, political decision making and implementation rely on reality, the assessment of reality and its resonance with society,” he added. The “unprecedented”
two-thirds victory at the election this spring has proven that the path chosen and the realisations made could be instructional.
Klaus said Hungary’s example had proven that victory was possible with conservative politics, which he described as “inspiring”. He said it was important to protect the “fragile West” from internal intellectual enemies and the war in Ukraine has again proven that all military conflicts result in the oppression of freedom and the spread of propaganda.
Waltz said in a video message that more people had died in the world as a result of Communist regimes than in the name of any other ideology. Despite this, more than 30 percent of young Americans have a favourable opinion of Communism, he said. They have no idea that Communist regimes have destroyed the lives of hundreds of millions, he added.
Read alsoCzechs to send hundreds of Ukrainian Roma refugees to Hungary!
Czechs to send hundreds of Ukrainian Roma refugees to Hungary!
The Czech Minister of the Interior, Vít Rakušan, is urging Hungary’s Minister Sándor Pintér to receive Roma refugees. Read our article to find out what Rakušan’s reason is.
On Thursday, Vít Rakušan called on Hungary to speed up the verification of Roma refugees. They possibly possess Ukrainian-Hungarian dual citizenships. Rakušan said people from Ukraine with dual citizenship are not entitled to refugee benefits, reported 444.
It is understandable that those who are not in dire need of humanitarian aid should not receive this kind of help. Magyar Nemzet wrote that refugees will need to show an official stamp that they have indeed crossed the Ukrainian border, starting 16 May.
Since the start of the war, close to 335 thousand refugees received special visas. This gives refugees one year to live in the Czech Republic. Based on this, they can get a job, have health insurance, and children have the ability to go to school. Refugees also receive various social benefits from the state.
Rakušan’s message to Hungary
Here is what Rakušan had to say to the Czech News Agency following his consultation with the Hungarian Minister of the Interior over the phone:
“What I asked from Hungary was to carry out the dual citizenship investigations not only quickly but consistently. This is to ensure that the Czech Republic has official knowledge about whether the persons concerned have Hungarian passports or not,” quoted the Czech News Agency.
However, Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic are apparently not left without aid. Rakušan offers all refugees with valid Hungarian passports a train ticket to Hungary.
The situation in Prague
There are hundreds of Ukrainian Roma people who have fled the Transcarpathian area from the war. They are denied support from the Czech Government only because of their Hungarian citizenship. Local NGOs say that these refugees reside at the main railway station where their situation has taken a turn for the worse.
Refugees must stay in waiting rooms or inside designated train cars, with a lack of hygienic facilities.
Over a dozen of NGOs, with the assistance of RomanoNet, sent a joint letter of complaint to Prime Minister Petr Fiala. They are calling for a crisis consultation on assisting the refugees from Ukraine. NGOs have already discussed the problems several times with government officials. The government harbours a negative attitude towards Roma war refugees staying in their municipalities.
Here is why you might bump into a lot of US, Polish, Romanian soldiers in Hungary
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.
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.
Read alsoHere is why you might bump into a lot of US, Polish, Romanian soldiers in Hungary
Hungary among the top investment targets of Taiwanese companies in Europe!
Hungary is among the top investment targets of Taiwanese companies in Europe despite the Orbán administration’s China-friendly policies. Is this a unique Hungarian success story attracting Chinese and Taiwanese working capital in that small Central-European country? Below is the answer based on the analysis of portfolio.hu.
Hungary is in the second place in Europe
According to a report about the EU-Taiwan relationship published last year, the Netherlands has the highest volume of Taiwanese direct investments (49 pc). However, the second place belongs to Hungary (18.8 pc). The data surprised many in the old continent because Hungary’s government has strong ties with China. Despite receiving a lot of criticism from the west because of the constantly developing Budapest-Beijing relationship, seemingly, that does not harm the Taipei-Budapest economic ties – portfolio.hu reported.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have been rising for years. Officially, the island state, which is 2.5 times smaller than Hungary, is not independent but belongs to China. De facto, Taiwan has its legislation and economic system as well as military. True, only 14 countries have established diplomatic ties with the island state. On the other hand, Taiwan is fully absorbed in the global economy. For example, it is the world’s biggest chip and semiconductor manufacturer. Interestingly, China has 55 pc of the country’s direct investments followed by the British Virgin Islands (13.5pc), the USA (6.3pc) and the EU (2.1pc).
The Central European region has been a popular investment target for Taiwan since 1990
Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic were among the most popular investment options following 1990 for East Asian companies. The second wave of investors came after their EU accession, and many East Asian firms bought up assets in the region after the 2008 global financial crisis. Interestingly, the Chinese and Taiwanese multinational companies arrived together in Hungary after 2000. Meanwhile, smaller firms chose the Czech Republic and Poland.
But why is the Central European region so attractive to them? Firstly, there is a well-trained labour force in those countries. Secondly, wages are lower than the EU average. Thirdly, Taiwanese companies want to get access to the EU markets. Moreover, the EU membership provides institutional stability. Finally, there are a lot of strategic agreements with the governments and tax exemptions.
Strategic agreements
In Hungary, the Orbán administration tripled the financial support of the multinational companies. They especially aim to attract car manufacturers and electronic firms. Taiwanese companies receive almost the same benefits as the Chinese ones – a businessman said. The difference is that there are no strategic agreements, and the Hungarian foreign minister does not attend the inauguration of developments. That is because they do not want to jeopardize the country’s relationship with China. To sum up, Hungary maintains an unfriendly political attitude toward Taiwan but the opposite is true when it comes to the economy.
Smaller companies tend to choose the Czech Republic because Prague has better political ties with Taipei. The Taiwanese media reports about the events in Czechia quite frequently, depicting the country as an attractive destination for the locals. However, big companies do not follow emotions, only crude financial interests. And in that regard, it seems Hungary is unbeatable.
Read alsoThese are Budapest’s most expensive streets
Hungary and other V4 countries are in the top 12 investment destinations of the world!
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.
Read alsoAverage gross wage in Hungary was almost 1,500 EUR in February
Russians coming? Hungarian government buys high-tech fighter jets – VIDEO
The Hungarian government decided to buy 12 new fighter jets for the Hungarian Defence Forces. Gáspár Maróth, the government commissioner responsible for defence developments, said they would purchase L-39NG jets to fulfil training and intelligence missions.
According to portfolio.hu, the manufacturer of the jets is the Czech Aero Vodochody, which has been in Hungarian majority ownership since 2021. Eight of the twelve fighters will help pilot training, while the remaining four will go on intelligence missions.
The manufacturing of the jets will be carried out in the framework of a Hungarian-Czech joint development project.
The ordered planes will arrive in Hungary in 2024.
Portfolio wrote that experts expected this bargain because Hungarian pilots tested the jets before, and the Aero Vodochody company is in Hungarian majority ownership.
The L-39NG is the developed version of one of the world’s well-known training jets, the L-39. The latter was used in every country of the Soviet bloc. The famous Czech company made 3,000 planes altogether. Even Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, flew with one. Western media outlets regularly referred to the L-39 as “Soviet fighter jets”, but they were wrong.
The L-39NG is still the main product of the Czech factory. It has two types. Stage 1 is a modernised, reshaped L-39, while the newer version, Stage 2, is a completely new plane. Of course, Hungary will buy 12 Stage 2 jets.
Designed for the pilots of 4th and 5th generation fighters, L-39NG can take the beating. Some sources say it can fly for more than 15 thousand hours. Its engine is a Williams International FJ44-4M, and its
final speed is 775 km/h at the altitude of 6,000 metres. However, it is still able to function at an 11.5 km height. Its range is 2,600 kilometres, and it can carry air-to-air missiles, as well as air-to-earth ones, bombs or guns.
It is not yet known what modifications Hungary will order. But portfolio.hu highlights that Hungary will probably be the first to use these jets on intelligence missions.
Here is a video about the jets Hungary wants to buy:
Read alsoBreaking! NATO strengthens Eastern protection: deploys battle groups in Hungary!
Hungarian Roma refugees from Ukraine do not receive allowances in the Czech Republic!
The Czech Minister of the Interior, Vít Rakusan, highlighted that Roma people who speak Hungarian and are fleeing Ukraine should not expect help, aid, or allowances from the country if they show their Hungarian passports. He added that these people would get neither social allowances nor temporary protection or aid. Only Ukrainian citizens are entitled to these, he concluded.
Hungarian Roma in trouble in the Czech Republic
According to index.hu, Czech authorities faced the problem of double citizenship in connection with the Hungarian-speaking Roma community fleeing Transcarpathia, Ukraine. They have a Hungarian passport and only speak Hungarian. Thus, Czech authorities cannot communicate with them. Therefore,
Mr Rakusan believes Hungary should help them.
He stated that 1,200 Roma refugees have arrived in the Czech Republic since Russia invaded Ukraine. Among them, there are a couple hundred Hungarian Roma people.
Over 12,000 refugees arrived from Ukraine in Hungary on Thursday
MTI reported that a total of 6,666 people crossed into Hungary directly from Ukraine on Thursday, while another 5,661 from Ukraine crossed from Romania, the national police headquarters said.
Police issued temporary residence permits valid for thirty days to 1,137 people,
the police website said on Friday. Holders of such permits must contact a local immigration office near their place of residence within thirty days to apply for permanent documents, it said.
Budapest police received 907 refugees, 250 children among them, by train, according to the municipal police website. Refugees arriving on special train services at Kőbánya felső railway station, in eastern Budapest, were taken by bus to the BOK sports and events centre serving as a humanitarian transit point.
Read alsoThis is why refugees are returning from Budapest to Ukraine in large numbers
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
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
Former Czech President and PM called Orbán “the only credible politician in Europe”
Vaclav Klaus, former president and prime minister of the Czech Republic, has called Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s re-elected prime minister, “the only credible politician in Europe”, according to a video footage posted on Facebook by the Hungarian foreign minister on Saturday.
In the interview segment, posted by Péter Szijjártó, Klaus described Orban’s success “important” from the point of view of the West.
“I will not keep it secret that I consider Orbán the only friend of mine among Europe’s influential politicians today, whom I greatly appreciate and
I agree with many of his views as regards his approach to life, the world, society, Europe and solutions to current problems,”
Klaus said according to the footage.
Klaus said Orbán is the only politician who represents his country and his nation and is acting in that spirit.
Read alsoOrbán’s victory is even greater with the mailed votes – Fidesz to have 3 million votes soon
These heads of government congratulated Orbán on his election victory – UPDATE
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.
Congratulations, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, on your victory in the Parliamentary elections in Hungary. Look forward to continue working with you to further strengthen the close and friendly India-Hungary ties.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 4, 2022
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”.
Government misleading the EU with the number of Ukrainian refugees to get more money?
Hungary says that it welcomed more than 540,000 refugees. However, human rights groups claim that the government misleads the public since most people do not stay in the country. They mostly go further west to reunite with family members and relatives. Only a fraction of them settles down in Hungary.
Controversial numbers
According to The Guardian, Hungary has a far-right government that inflates “the number of Ukrainian refugees it is sheltering as it seeks to secure European funds to finance their welfare.”
The government argues that Hungary welcomed the highest number of refugees taking the country’s population of 9.6 million into account. Zoltán Kovács, the government’s international spokesperson, shared a figure that amounted to between five and six refugees for every 100 Hungarian inhabitants.
“However, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights NGO dedicated to helping refugees,
called the statistics “misleading” and said most of those arriving subsequently travelled on to other countries.
The number of refugees in Hungary was much lower than the official figures” – The Guardian wrote. Furthermore, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee argued that the Hungarian Government did not provide adequate information for those who wish to remain in Hungary. For example, Poland and Slovakia provided online forms to apply for protection.
More refugees – more funds
Not surprisingly, only 7,749 people had applied for temporary protected status in Hungary until the 27th of March. This status is required to get social welfare support, including housing, the right to work and access to education in the country. This number clearly shows that most of the refugees just passed through Hungary.
“In its quest for additional funds from the EU, the Hungarian Government uses the most impressive number it can find”
– Márta Pardavi, the Helsinki committee’s co-chair, said.
International government spokesman Zoltán Kovács said that he did not know how many refugees the country was currently hosting. “Many of them have biometric passports, which means they have visa-free movement within the European Union,” he said. “We can only have a relationship with those who apply for refugee status or asylum.” In addition to those seeking protected status,
another 80,000 had applied for 30-day temporary residency permits,
Kovács told The Guardian.
Approx. 10 thousand refugees per day to Hungary
A recent statement the British paper quotes said that Hungary had provided 5.4m euros (£4.6m) in humanitarian aid within the framework of the Hungary Helps programme. Furthermore, they earmarked €8.1m to support six charities. Moreover, 758 Ukrainian children have been enrolled in Hungarian schools, and individual tutoring is being provided to help with integration. Meanwhile,
in the Czech Republic, 240,000 refugees have already registered for Czech state health insurance.
Therefore, Prague is seeking European funding to help deal with the crisis.
According to MTI, in total 5,728 people crossed the Hungarian border directly from Ukraine on Thursday, while another 4,620 Ukrainian refugees came from Romania,
the national police headquarters said. Police issued temporary residence permits valid for thirty days to 1,599 people, the police website wrote on Friday. Holders of such permits must contact a local immigration office near their place of residence within thirty days to apply for permanent documents, it added.
Budapest police received 1,717 refugees, out of which 808 were children, by train, according to the municipal police website. Refugees arriving on special train services at Kőbánya Felső Railway Station, in Eastern Budapest, were taken by bus to the BOK Sports and Events Centre which serves as a humanitarian transit point.
The authorities transported 96 people, including 56 children, to accommodation in the capital and outlying areas.
Read alsoCNN: Despite Orbán’s duplicity, will he still win Hungarian elections?
Minister: Hungary’s left and Ukraine agreed to drag Hungary into war
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.
Read alsoZelenskiy: Europe should not listen to any excuses from Budapest! – VIDEO
V4 cooperation to freeze? Czechs, Poles remain home, Hungary cancels defence meeting
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.
