Previously, we reported on a leaked language-use bill drafted by Slovakia’s Ministry of Culture, under the leadership of the far-right nationalist SNS party. This proposed legislation has raised concerns among local Hungarians, as it could potentially limit their ability to use their mother tongue in everyday situations—such as at post offices or on public transport, including buses, trams, and trains. While Hungarian government officials have sought to reassure the public, Euronews speculates that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico may prioritise maintaining his governing coalition over his positive relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The end of Orbán and Fico’s friendship?
As Euronews reports, on Thursday, the two nations’ foreign ministers held a joint press conference, during which they stressed that the new Slovak bill is intended to strengthen the use of the Slovak language and is not designed to curtail the rights of minority languages.
Balázs Tárnok, a National University of Public Service researcher, warned that the bill could significantly reduce the rights of minorities to use their languages. Furthermore, the culture ministry drafting the bill is in the hands of the SNS party, which has consequently weak results in polls. Therefore, Tárnok suggests that the party may be attempting to attract attention and assert its influence through such controversial measures.
According to Euronews, Hungarians in Slovakia are hopeful that the SNS’s coalition partners will moderate the anti-minority elements of the bill.
PM Orbán and Fico have maintained a positive relationship, with rumours suggesting that Orbán even supported Fico’s anti-migration campaign by redirecting illegal migrants to the Slovak-Hungarian border. This move reportedly contributed to many ethnic Hungarians voting for Fico, despite his earlier anti-Hungarian policies in the 2010s. However, if Fico and his party decide to oppose the new SNS bill, they risk endangering their coalition’s stability.
Orbán and Fico embrace in Budapest. Will their friendship survive the proposed language law? Photo: FB/Orbán
Many believe that the Slovak political elite is using this issue to divert attention from the country’s economic challenges.
Hungary-Slovakia cooperation: Strategic and friendly, says speaker Kövér
Hungarian-Slovak relations remain strategic and friendly, László Kövér, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, stated following a meeting with Peter Žiga, head of Slovakia’s National Council, on Friday evening. According to the Hungarian News Agency, the two leaders discussed shared challenges and the strong ties between their nations.
As well as history and geography, Kövér said the challenges of the current era had put the two countries on a parallel path.
He noted that Slovakia was regularly Hungary’s second- or third-biggest trade partner, adding that cross-border economic transactions had intensified and been more focused on shared interests and goals.
Photo: MTI
Photo: MTI
He said the sides had discussed international developments as well as bilateral relations. The sides agreed that the shift in power after the European Parliament elections and change in leadership at the White House would improve Hungary and Slovakia’s ability to enforce their interests, he said. Both countries want to see an end to the war in Ukraine and those political changes on the international stage are likely to “bring us closer to the peace we hope for”, he added.
After Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Visegrád Group in January, Kövér said cooperation between V4 parliaments would be stepped up. “We can naturally rely on the cooperation of our Slovak partners in this,” he added.
Ziga said the two countries’ strong ties were the result of common interests.
He added that several bilateral issues had been discussed at the meeting, including the cooperation of the national assemblies. He said he had informed Kövér in October about the establishment of a Slovak-Hungarian friendship group in the Slovak parliament.
He acknowledged Hungary’s involvement in policing Slovak airspace.
Read also:
New Slovak bill would ban Hungarian language use on trains, buses, trams, and post offices – read more HERE
Slovakia assuresHungary that the new Slovak language law will not curtail Hungarian minority rights
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary’s economic troubles were, “without exception”, the result of the war in Ukraine and its consequences in a weekly interview with public radio on Friday.
USA pro-peace
Orbán said the government had submitted a “peacetime” budget bill to lawmakers and augured a “fantastic”, “unprecedented” 2025.
As well as acknowledging the need for peace from the humane and Christian perspective, Orbánpointed to the impact of the war on Hungary’s economy and Hungarians’ incomes and quality of life. “The right thing to do is to end the war as soon as possible,” he said.
According to the prime minister, the European Union’s sanctions, “an ill-advised response to the war”, have led to high energy prices and inflation, which resulted in “adopting a defensive position” in the economy rather than an attitude of “how could we feel better”. Unless it is reversed and “confidence returns to the economy” and “unless businessmen have faith in what they do there will be no economic growth … for the country to become successful again the war must be ended,” he said.
He noted that Hungarian diplomacy had advocated peace, but said a “major player” with the power to achieve that peace was necessary, explaining the importance of the result of the United States elections.
Putin and Orbán in July in Moscow. Photo: FB/Orbán
He said the 2025 budget would pave the way for developments in Hungary for which “the expression ‘fantastic’ is not unwarranted”. He said the draft outlined “the budget for a new economic policy to close an era and open up perspectives, hopes, opportunities,” adding that the budget would “focus on the smallest players, primarily families.” The family tax benefit would be doubled, he said. Referring to talks with employers and trade unions, the government is seeking to raise wages as “the sole remedy the government could offer against increasing prices … opportunities for the people to make more money,” he said, noting the government’s long-term goal of raising the average wage to a monthly one million forints.
Economic measures
Among the government’s major action plans Orbán mentioned housing and said several measures were aimed at ensuring affordable first homes and housing, introducing “promising novel ideas”.
On air. Photo: FB/Orbán
Employees under 35 would be eligible to a housing subsidy from their employer up to 150,000 forints a month to help with rent or mortgage payments, the prime minister said. He said the government had long considered abandoning the idea of developing the state-owned housing sector, which could “restore the culture of communist times”. Instead, the government could provide incentives to the private sector to offer housing subsidies to its young employees, he said. “It will make them attractive; companies offering such benefits will gain a competitive edge in the race for talented young employees,” he said.
The government’s Demjan Sandor programme will help small companies to “gain strength and rise to a higher level” through capital injections, Orbán said. The new workers’ loans, on the other hand, will offer “tangible help” to young employees, he added.
Difficult and exciting two months to come
Referring to the political climate after the US election Orbán said it was now “calm without winds; so far it has been windy and the ship was forging ahead, the campaign itself was a hurricane and drove the peace camp’s ship ahead at great speed. There was fight between the peace and war camps on a daily basis,” he added.
“A pro-peace presidential candidate has won and now we await peace,” he said, adding that “the question is what happens in America before Donald Trump assumes his office on January 20, whether American leaders acknowledge that the candidate of the peace camp has won.” He said further steps towards an escalation of the war should not be made but “the pro-peace president should be allowed to implement his programme as easily as possible”. He suggested it would be “risky” for the president-elect to take measures under US law, and said “since they constantly want to send Trump to prison he will think five times what he can and cannot do” before he takes his post. “We are ahead of a difficult and exciting two months,” Orbán added.
Orbán said a pro-peace turnaround must be fostered in the European Union, “to prevent the idea that we can continue this war without the US from emerging.” That concept “has proponents, they must be cornered and forced into meaningful dialogue about how they pictured doing that without ruining our own economy. Europe definitely has not enough money to finance this war without the Americans,” he said.
More than 300 state-subsidised investments launching next year
“Hungary must go on with its fight for peace, in Brussels this time, after an American victory triggering great expectations,” Orbán said. Without certain reforms to European Union policy, “the European Union may die within two or three years” as the French president has predicted, Orbán said. Orbán said the two main tasks were cutting energy prices, “which includes a review of sanctions,” and an “anti-bureaucracy reform”, achieved within the next six months.
Answering a question, Orbán said he saw a “30 percent chance for success, which is why it is very important not to wait for Brussels but to revolt where they want to strong-arm us into measures that are bad for Hungarian families.” Hungary’s draft budget was one such “open revolt”, Orbán said, as it contained the utility price caps and the government’s new housing and SME support schemes. Hungary will see more than 300 state-subsidised investments launching next year, he added.
“We are launching huge railway investments, the motorway constructions and revamps are under way, we are building a university and might finally get to the Heim Pál Children’s Hospital. Big, serious things are starting here, the diametrical opposits of what Brussels is doing,” Orbán said. Regarding the world economy, Orbán said the US and the EU had been neck-and-neck some 15 years ago, but since then, Europe’s economy has grown by 15 percent while the us’s jumped by 65 percent.
While richer member states “had awful years”, Hungary had remained more on the path of development, Orbán said. Without a utility price cap scheme of their own, soaring energy prices in other member states had devoured family incomes, he insisted. Europe can’t compete with the US “as long as they are paying a fourth of European electricity prices. We can’t win this way,” Orbán said. “Energy prices won’t fall with a sanctions policy like this.” Europe will also have to undergo “an anti-bureaucratic revolution”, Orbán said. “The second greatest problem in the EU is a hoard of idiotic, unviable rules suffocating the economy.”
Rude awakening for EU leaders
Orbán said the Draghi report on competitiveness presented at a European Union summit in Budapest a week ago had been a “rude awakening” for EU leaders and an incitement to take policy action.
Orbán said the report on the European economy, prepared by Mario Draghi, the well-respected former head of the European Central Bank, at Brussels’ request, showed that Europe was on a “suicide” path. EU leaders’ acknowledgement of the seriousness of the matter and the need to take steps produced the Budapest Declaration on the New European Competitiveness Deal which was “effortlessly approved by all member states” at the summit, he added.
Regarding the National Consultation survey, Orbán said that besides “ammunition for the fights in Brussels,” the survey was also a way to involve the community in dialogue on “the great questions of the country’s future”.
The U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump, is reportedly considering Florida Senator Marco Rubio for the role of Secretary of State, a selection that would make Rubio the first Latino to hold this prominent position. Should Rubio accept after Trump’s inauguration in January, he would assume a critical role, bringing a fresh perspective to U.S. foreign policy and potentially shaping the trajectory of American diplomacy on the global stage.
Throughout his career, Rubio has maintained a firm, sometimes uncompromising stance against America’s chief adversaries, particularly China, Iran, and Cuba. Over time, however, he has found common ground with Trump, adjusting his political views to align more closely with the President-elect’s foreign policy agenda. According to 24.hu, Trump’s choice could still change, as he has frequently shifted direction in the past—a hallmark of his approach in office.
Before the U.S. election, Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump appeared to share a strong rapport, with Trump often referencing the Hungarian Prime Minister in his speeches. However, if Rubio steps into the role of Secretary of State, a crucial question arises: how will Rubio’s stance on Hungary impact U.S.-Hungarian relations under the Trump administration?
Photo: FB/Orbán
Marco Rubio on Hungary’s democratic values
Rubio’s diplomatic concerns extend beyond traditional geopolitics to issues surrounding democracy among U.S. allies. In a letter to Trump, Rubio and a group of senators highlighted Hungary’s backsliding on democratic values, urging the President to address these issues with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The letter notes that Hungary has experienced a significant democratic decline, with reports citing restricted press freedom, weakened judicial independence, and a compromised electoral system. Freedom House’s classification of Hungary as “partly free” marks a first for an EU member state.
U.S. senators, including Rubio, are particularly wary of Hungary’s close relationship with Russia. Despite its NATO membership, Hungary remains heavily reliant on Russian energy, and its “golden visa” programme could serve as a potential route to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Additionally, the recent relocation of the Russian International Investment Bank to Budapest raises concerns about Russia’s growing influence in Hungary and, by extension, in Central Europe.
Source: Facebook / Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio’s position on the Ukraine conflict
If Marco Rubio assumes the role, one of his key challenges will be addressing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. While Rubio supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, he has advocated for a negotiated settlement rather than a military solution to reclaim Russian-occupied territory. Rubio’s position on aid has also distinguished him from many of his colleagues: he notably opposed the $95 billion aid package to Ukraine in April, signalling his cautious approach to deepening U.S. involvement.
America’s diplomatic role in Europe has long been grounded in the promotion of democratic principles, a guiding value since the Cold War. Marco Rubio and his Senate colleagues have pressed President Trump to keep democratic values at the heart of U.S.-Hungary relations, emphasising that American foreign policy in Europe is based not only on security cooperation but also on a shared commitment to democratic freedoms.
Climate policy should be guided by common sense, rather than ideology, alarmism or panic, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Baku on Tuesday, addressing COP29, the annual UN conference on climate change.
PM Orbán talks about climate policy
Speaking among more than 40 heads of state and government, Orbán thanked Azeri President Ilham Aliyev for hosting the event. Azerbaijan is a key partner of Europe in reaching its climate goals, and an ideal place to hold the conference, he said.
MTI/Azertac
Orbán noted that Hungary held summits of the European Political Community and the European Council last week, where EU leaders adopted a declaration on competitiveness that will shape the EU’s approach to climate issues.
“Our mission is to make Europe more competitive, and we approach climate protection with this vision in our mind,” Orbán said. Hungary is proud to have improved its economic performance while cutting emissions in recent years, he said.
“We cannot sacrifice our industry or our agriculture in this process. We must continue advancing the green transition while also maintaining our use of natural gas, oil and nuclear energy. The price of climate change should not be paid by our farmers, the backbone of our economy and society,” the Hungarian PM said. “We cannot impose unrealistic quotas or burdensome rules on farmers and companies, but should offer practical support for them.”
Green transition and the fight against climate change should be conducted in cooperation with the business community, rather than opposed to it, Orbán said. “We need clear financial guarantees and significant investment, large companies must contribute their fair share to climate protection.”
Regarding Hungary’s achievements, Orbán said the country was vying for an important role in the development of electric vehicles and electricity storage. Hungary is further investing in its already robust nuclear industry, increasing it to meet 70 percent of the country’s electricity demand, he said.
“Geographically, we play a key role in energy transit between East and West,” the Hungarian PM said. Meanwhile, Hungary boasts the lowest utility prices for households in Europe and it has also posted one of the largest increases in the use of green energy, he added.
Hungary is also a leader of economically sustainable climate protection, ranking fourth among EU countries in reducing carbon emissions for unit of energy produced, he said.
Looking ahead, the country aims to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030, Orbán said.
“I firmly believe that by working together, we can balance ambition with pragmatism, establishing Europe as a global leader in climate action, in compromise with the prosperity of our agriculture and industry,” Orbán said.
Donald Trump’s incoming presidency is a beacon of hope for Europe and Hungary alike, Zsolt Semjén, the deputy prime minister, said in an interview to public media portal hirado.hu.
Trump to bring hope?
Trump’s win “restores faith in a normal America”, and his presidency would bring back “common sense and normal human values”, he said in the interview published on Tuesday.
The Democratic Party, he added, “is destroying America” with their values and its administration wanted to force them on the world “under the name of exporting democracy”.
Semjén said it could be expected that the US and Russia would resolve the war in Ukraine, which he said was in the interest of the world and Europe in particular. Europe itself, he added, had borne the brunt of sanctions against Russia, so Trump’s presidency was a beacon of hope for Europe and Hungary.
Semjén, who leads the junior governing Christian Democrats, said his party did not support Ukraine’s bid to join NATO as this could spark a third world war. Also, if Ukraine was a NATO member, Article 5 may no longer apply in respect of all its member states, he added. First a ceasefire was necessary as a prelude to peace negotiations, he said, adding that Americans would no longer finance the war and Europeans would not have the money to spend on it either.
The deputy PM said that as long as he was in power he would “do everything to ensure that no Hungarian person dies” in the war.
Meanwhile, he said “only stupid people” failed to accept that migration “leads to disaster”. Once irregular migrants have entered the country, “it’s extremely hard to get them out, so they shouldn’t be allowed in at all”.
Also, Semjén decried “trans issues in the West”, saying gender had been distorted to the extent that was totally at odds with human nature, “to the point of absurdity”.
Regarding opposition claims that Hungary was diplomatically isolated, he said the centre of world diplomacy was in Budapest and defined in relation to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, “from Austria and Slovakia, all the way to the United States”, so the claim was “absurd”.
Photo: FB/Orbán
Semjén rejected “turning economic issues into ideological issues” and said economic cooperation was far preferable to the emergence of a Cold War.
Meanwhile, turning to party politics, he said the Christian Democrats were under attack “not because we are guilty of serious crimes but because we uphold Christian values, and this annoys the anti-church camp.”
He said Orbán was reviled by the left wing as he was “a symbol” who represented Christianity and the nation, adding that Democratic Coalition (DK) leader Ferenc Gyurcsány “hates him” as DK was “anti-Christian and Hungaro-phobic”.
Semjén said the opposition paid lip service to supporting Hungarians across the border, so Hungarians beyond the border rejected them. Hungarians communities abroad should not be the subject of everyday party politics, he said.
Yesterday, Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, announced via a Facebook post that he would be holding an extraordinary press conference to reveal what he called the biggest political scandal in Hungary since the regime change. The press conference, titled “The Hungarian Watergate Scandal,” left many unsure of what to expect from the live broadcast.
Péter Magyar, Chairman of the Tisza Party, has made serious accusations against the Hungarian government, alleging that certain government members have conducted secret surveillance on him and his party. In his statement at the press conference, Magyar claimed that the Fidesz government operates a private secret service network to monitor him and his party colleagues and that they are preparing a smear campaign against the Tisza Party. According to Magyar, this campaign is built on information about his private life, which was allegedly leaked to a government website with the help of his former girlfriend, Evelin Vogel.
Source: Youtube / Magyar Péter Hivatalos
What to expect from the campaign against Péter Magyar
Péter Magyar made strong allegations against the government during Sunday’s press conference, accusing it of using AI-supported methods to defame him and his party. Magyar asserted that the campaign employs the latest technologies, including AI-edited audio and video, to discredit him and his associates.
Magyar further alleged that tens of millions of forints have been spent to prepare a smear campaign, with plans to release manipulated content on a website named Objectiv. According to Telex, the site is currently under maintenance; however, Magyar claims its purpose is to disseminate compromising, AI-generated content. As stated in his accusations, “Antal Rogán and his associates” allocated one billion HUF (€2,439,233) to edit Magyar’s public appearances using AI-based technology, with the intent to produce manipulated materials aimed at damaging his reputation.
Magyar also revealed that intelligence sources had informed him that listening devices had been installed in the Tisza Party offices and his own residence, although he admitted he lacked evidence to prove this claim. He called on Interior Minister Sándor Pintér to inspect the party’s properties and assets.
Photo: FB/Magyar
The Vogel Evelin audio leak
In one audio recording, Evelin Vogel is allegedly heard demanding 30 million HUF (€73,176) to refrain from “turning resentment into revenge.” She reportedly threatens to “explore other options” if her demand is unmet. This recording purportedly dates back to 16 June 2024. Three months later, Vogel gave an interview with Index, openly criticising her former partner, Péter Magyar, and sharing a very unfavourable view of the Tisza Party president.
Contacts and support from the Hungarian Government
Magyar further claims that his ex-wife, Judit Varga, along with Evelin Vogel, receives financial backing from Fidesz-aligned circles close to the Hungarian government. According to Magyar, this support is provided by IT entrepreneur György Vertán, who also allegedly offers Vogel accommodation in a property on Alkotmány Street. He contends that Varga and Vogel have taken on the role of making negative public statements against him.
György Vertán, owner and founder of Tigra Ltd., has denied Magyar’s allegations. According to 24.hu, Vertán stated that he does not finance Vogel but only provides her with temporary housing. He emphasised that he has no involvement in the political activities of the Tisza Party or in Magyar’s personal affairs and, as such, offers no political support.
Judit Varga, the former Minister of Justice under the Orbán government, is currently employed by Tigra Ltd., where she assists the company in its international expansion. Vertán confirmed this, adding that Varga receives standard employee benefits and performs her duties with diligence.
Vertán has also stressed that Tigra Ltd. has always maintained political neutrality, serving clients across the political spectrum. He stated that his company has received various public and private contracts over the years and intends to continue this approach.
The first Péter Magyar audio leak
The first audio recording emerged earlier than expected, surfacing in the media earlier today. According to Telex, the clip, apparently recorded after the June protest, captures Magyar making some heated comments about the demonstrators. He also seems to hint at plans to discredit Vogel publicly, suggesting that she has been unfaithful.
The Tisza Party responded quickly, labelling the recording a “manipulative attack.” They assert that the incident was orchestrated by Fidesz and Rogán’s associates, accusing Vogel of being a long-term Fidesz insider who had even been provided with an apartment by them. Magyar added that the objective of the recording was to damage the reputation of the opposition party.
Source: Facebook/ Péter Magyar
Tisza to expel Vogel, Magyar to file police report on ‘blackmail’
According to MTI, the leadership of the opposition Tisza Party has decided to expel Evelin Vogel, and party leader Péter Magyar will file a police report alleging blackmail, the party announced on Monday. Magyar said he had been aware “for days” of “attempts by the ruling party and [Cabinet Minister] Rogán’s propaganda team to discredit him” using “illegally obtained and digitally manipulated material.”
“The reason is that the party has a realistic chance of ousting the mafia government,” they said.
The party further claimed that “the recording in question is clearly edited and manipulated; at least one sentence is certainly not spoken by Magyar.” They also stated, “Vogel should rather tell the press how many tens of millions of forints she has received from Fidesz, and why she resides in an apartment provided by Fidesz deputy leader Gábor Kubatov and [billionaire entrepreneur] György Vertán.”
“Donald Trump’s victory will primarily restore peace and broaden our economic possibilities,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview broadcast by commercial TV2 on Sunday night.
Hungary was a world centre this week
The prime minister added that “important achievements could be made, which would not be possible if the war (in Ukraine) went on, with a continued risk of Hungary becoming involved.”
Orbán said Hungary’s diplomacy “has not been as strong in the past 100 years”. The prime minister added that Hungary had not had “such strong influence in the world as now” especially considering Hungary’s small size.
While “they say so many things (about Hungary) in the West and it is difficult to tell what should be taken seriously … the problem cannot be too large if forty plus European heads of state will come to Hungary at the invitation of the Hungarian prime minister,” Orbán said referring to the recent European Political Community summit in Budapest. The prime minister highlighted the “efforts of many years” by European Affairs Minister János Bóka and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó that contributed to the success of Hungarian diplomacy.
Photo: MTI
Orbán said similar European summits “could be met with disinterest” but the Budapest meeting was the first such occasion after the US presidential election, and it also had the EU competitiveness pact, as proposed by the Hungarian EU presidency, on its agenda.
Peace budget in the pipe
According to the prime minister, “it is certain” that the government would prepare a “peace time budget” under which “we will spend less on war-related items and we could afford a lot more measures aimed at prosperity for the people.”
Orbán said next year would see “an unprecedented” programme to promote small business, loans for employees, as well as “opportunities for cheaper, more affordable housing” and a maintained 13th month pension scheme. He said Trump’s election was bringing the world “an enormous step closer to peace”, adding that “now the whole world is speculating” how the new president would achieve that.
Source: Facebook / Orbán Viktor
Analysing the American elections, Orbán said the most important question is what will happen to Hungarians. “We Hungarians, the current Hungarian government must stand up for Hungarian interests,” he added. After Trump’s election, he said “we can achieve our interests and goals more easily than before, but only we can achieve them.” He warned however, that Trump is “not our saviour but our comrade-in-arms”. While Hungary “has often felt alone”, now “we are not alone anymore, the whole of America is with us, the American government,” Orbán added. “Everybody was surprised at Trump’s win,” Orban said, but he added that he had been “as certain as two and two make four”. He said people both in Europe and in the US were fed up with war, migration, and “this gender thing” and the Democrat administration was “pro-war, pro-migrant, and pro-gender”.
Orbán seeks a great agreement with the USA
Orbán said he was seeking to strike “a great agreement” between Hungary and the US.
Hungary and the US will need to sign an agreement to prevent double taxation, as the incumbent administration “has failed to renew the one that expired”, Orbán said, adding that he was seeking agreement with Trump “on some major economic matters”. “I think we will have to opportunity to do so,” he said.
Referring to the recent EU summit in Budapest, Orbán said participants had realised that “Europe cannot go on doing what it has done so far” and that it needed change. European leaders “so far giving Ukraine everything will now switch to the opposite”, he said.
“I wouldn’t want to see Europe being torn apart into opposing camps,” the prime minister said, adding that his goal was to “shift from a pro-war position to a pro-peace approach together”.
Competitiveness a key
On another subject, Orbán said “Europe would be on the losing side as long as it pays four times for gas and three times for electricity as its American competitor.” Within half a year, decisions resulting in a reduction in European energy prices must be made, he said. Speaking about an agreement adopted at an informal meeting of EU heads of state and government in Budapest on Friday, the PM said in Hungary households receive the cheapest gas and electricity in all of Europe, so this agreement will primarily be good for entrepreneurs, who pay very high prices in the same way as European entrepreneurs.
This is largely down to politicians, because the formulas used to set energy prices in Europe have been set up badly, he added.
Orbán pointed to an anti-bureaucratic revolution as a second step in the series of measures. He said that within half a year, the number of rules that clearly hinder free competition and the operation of companies must be radically reduced. He noted a new rule that no new legislation can be created that does not have a competitiveness test.
The Hungarian government just passed a law that significantly changes how military deployments are handled. Now, the government can make decisions about sending troops abroad without needing approval from Parliament, even skipping public debate in certain cases.
The new legislation grants the cabinet full authority to launch international military actions under “special circumstances,” and these decisions will be shared only through official announcements, like the Hungarian Gazette or other government publications. This shift in decision-making power also introduces stricter control over sensitive information.
According to 24.hu, when a deployment involves classified details, the government can decide to withhold key information, such as the mission’s purpose, methods, or specific equipment used. Officials can choose to keep these details confidential if they believe that sharing them would risk national security or compromise international relations.
Experts opinion on the recent changes
Security analysts highlight that nearly all foreign missions involve some level of secrecy. József Kis-Benedek, a security expert at the National University of Public Service, explains that details about the mission’s objectives, the soldiers’ routes, and the equipment they carry are usually classified. Protecting these details can be crucial for troop safety. Although there is no external push from NATO or the EU requiring Hungary to make this change, supporters argue that the law could allow Hungary to respond more quickly in international situations.
Source: Facebook / Magyar Honvédség
The Chad Mission
A recent example of Hungary’s military involvement abroad is the deployment to Chad. Last year, Parliament approved sending 200 Hungarian troops to Chad, a number that could rise to 400 if rotations are needed, for a mission expected to last until the end of 2025. The aim is to protect Hungarian interests and support counterterrorism efforts. This mission is particularly challenging because Hungary is responsible for all aspects of logistics and security, from transporting troops to managing equipment. Adding to public interest, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s son, Gáspár Orbán, has reportedly been involved in organising the mission.
The new law does not only affect Hungarian troops going abroad; it also changes the rules around foreign military presence in Hungary. While Parliament still has the final say in most cases, the government now has the authority to make decisions independently for deployments connected to NATO, EU, and UN missions. This flexibility lets Hungary react more swiftly to the shifting geopolitical landscape, particularly with the increasing security pressures across Europe.
Ultimately, this legislation is intended to give the Hungarian government the agility to respond quickly to emerging security needs, while significantly limiting the transparency that was previously expected in military operations.
Source: Facebook / Magyar Honvédség
DK to appeal to Constitutional Court over soldiers’ legal status
According to MTI, Ágnes Vadai, the deputy group leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition, has submitted a motion to the Constitutional Court, seeking to annul the government decree on the legal status of Hungarian soldiers, the party’s press department said on Thursday.
The initiative has the support of the “democratic opposition”, with the exception of Momentum, so that a sufficient number of signatures has been collected to get the go-ahead, they said.
Vadai spoke about the issue in a Facebook video on Thursday, where she said those who defended their country had to be sure that they would not be sacked overnight. So it is important to record the rights and obligations of soldiers in a law secured with two-thirds majority, she added.
A competitiveness pact dubbed the Budapest Declaration submitted by the Hungarian presidency of the European Union was approved at the informal meeting of EU heads of state and government in Budapest on Friday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told a press conference after the meeting. He added that it was necessary to “make Europe great again”.
Orbán condemned “anti-Semitic attacks” in Amsterdam
At a joint press conference with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel, Orbán said that on behalf of Hungary he condemned the “anti-Semitic attacks” that had taken place in Amsterdam on Thursday.
The attack was unacceptable also to Hungarians, he said. Orbán added that Budapest, where Europe’s largest synagogue was only “a stone’s throw away” from the city’s largest Catholic cathedral, was a meeting place of different cultures, East and West, North and South, which made the city “uniquely tolerant”. “That’s why we live together in peace and security here in Budapest, and I wish Amsterdam’s residents to succeed with the same,” he added.
Photo: MTI
“We will fight our battles in Brussels”
Commenting on the EU summit, Orbán said it was common knowledge that there are serious political conflicts between the EC and Hungary and he had also had disputes with von der Leyen. At the same time, he said the EC president was this time a guest in Budapest and she deserved a polite welcome and respect, so there had been no disputes at all at the meeting.
“We will fight our battles in Brussels,” he said.
Informal meeting approves key document
Orbán said there was full consensus about the main topic of the summit, which was competitiveness, and a competiveness pact had been approved in line with the Hungarian presidency’s goal. He referred to the document as the “Budapest declaration” and thanked all the related work of his colleagues, the president of the commission, the president of the European Council, and Mario Draghi who had prepared a report on competitiveness.
The document places a focus on competitiveness in the next five years, and states that immediate action is needed, he said.
The growth of the European Union was slower in the past two decades than the growth of China or the US, and the EU’s productivity is growing slower than its competitors’, with the EU’s share in world trade decreasing. EU companies pay three times higher price for electricity and four times higher price for natural gas than their US competitors, he added.
Simplification revolution needed
Outlining a number of points of the Budapest Declaration on competitiveness, Orbán said a “simplification revolution” would be implemented and companies’ reporting obligations would be “drastically reduced” by the end of the first half of 2025. A capital market union will be implemented in full, a European defence industry base will be established, urgent measures will be taken to bring down energy prices and a “genuine” industrial policy will take shape in the coming period, he added.
Orbán said everybody at the summit had agreed that R+D spending should be raised to 3 percent of GDP by 2030.
He said the capital market union would be fully implemented.
Orbán said Europeans’ savings totalled more than Americans’ but Europeans keep their savings in banks and banks are “genetically” unsuitable for financing various high-risk high-tech investments.
Bank deposits should be transferred to capital funds, European citizens should be convinced to do this in order to make the money more easily available for innovative economic solutions, he said. Steps will be taken to achieve this, the prime minister added.
European defence industrial base will be established
Orbán said it had been decided that a European defence industrial base would be established.
He said that it had been agreed that an assessment or so-called competitiveness test would be prepared for all new legislative proposals, in order to see their impact of new legal regulations on competitiveness.
He added that the EC president and the members of the Council were in agreement that competitiveness issues would be regularly addressed at the meetings of the European Council.
The prime minister said teh Budapest meeting gave reason for optimism. “Nobody wants to manage a decline, rather we all want to make Europe great again,” he added. Orbán said that if the Americans had decided to make America great again, the only possible European response was to “make Europe great again”.
In response to a question concerning why competitiveness had not been improved and bureaucracy reduced already despite these being among the Lisbon Treaty’s goals, Ursula von der Leyen said that huge transformation had taken place in competitiveness, for instance in research and development. The performance of the various European sectors has been reviewed at the talks, identifying the strengths and weaknesses, she added.
She said red tape and reporting obligations would be cut and a related joint proposal would be submitted to parliament and the council.
Economic questions
Commenting on planned talks with the US president-elect on trade, she said relations would be continually maintained and consultations are planned on shared interests. She said one such area was the purchase of liquefied natural gas, adding that a large amount of it was still being purchased from Russia, and it should be replaced by purchases from the US. This could also help reduce energy prices, Von der Leyen said and added that consultations should be started about this, as well as on the trade balance.
Answering a question, President of the European Council Charles Michel said that energy in the EU was a national competence but the member states should still act together to reduce prices. It must be taken into consideration that energy is a means of sovereignty and also a strategic issue, he said.
The same applies to financial markets, he said, adding that they also served as a means for directing investments towards European innovation. He highlighted the need for the capacities to be freed in the interest of economic development and added that Orbán had demonstrated with examples that the EU was falling behind its competitors.
Commenting on competitiveness, Michel said it was necessary to see that the situation called for urgent action. In response to a question on new financial instruments, he said solidarity should not be forgotten. Mutual trust depends not only on financial support and a willingness for making internal reforms was also important, he added.
Von der Leyen said it was obvious that more private investment and more state investment was needed. The priorities must be defined first, she added. She said there were two solutions for financing at a European level: with new own resources or by making payments to the common budget. Both required capital increase, she added.
The summit was excellent
Commenting on the newly approved pact, the Hungarian prime minister said it had been easy to reach an agreement on competitiveness because it was a pragmatic matter and not a matter of ideology. In response to a question, he said the goals defined in Lisbon were not realistic anymore because of the great changes that have taken place since. He said that fulfilling goals was a management issue, and if Europe had good leaders then they could be achieved.
Orbán said that prior to the summit, much could be heard about Hungary’s isolation and a dislike for the country, a failure of the summit and that European leaders would refuse to attend. Yet, the summit had been excellent, with good cooperation, he added. The competitiveness pact has been approved whereas earlier everyone said this would be impossible, he said. They trust each other, and being good leaders, they will be able to achieve the competitiveness goals presented, he added.
Commenting on future relations with the US, he said he expected some tough negotiations. Donald Trump will surely have some ideas on how trade should develop “obviously along US interests”, he said. Europe will have to stand up for itself, engage in talks and reach a deal in the end, he added.
In response to another question, Orbán said there were two more months left of the Hungarian EU presidency, “this has been a good gathering with nice results”, but he still held some surprises up his sleeve.
Financial support for Ukraine remains
Commenting on financial support for Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen said that in addition to a 50 billion euro loan package from the G7 would also be available for Ukraine until 2026. She said that Russia posed a threat to the security of not only Europe but the whole world. Russia is increasingly lining up with Iran and North Korea and together with China they “feed and fuel this war”, she added. Russia uses Chinese and Iranian technology in the battlefield which shows that the security of the Pacific region and Europe are interconnected, she said.
Michel added that steps must be taken in the interest of just peace but “nothing should be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine”. If Europe sends a sign of weakness to the Kremlin, it will also send a message to other regimes that they could violate international law and Europe would become vulnerable, he added.
Orbán said he had first presented his position about the war in March 2022 and it has not changed ever since. “The Hungarian position is clearly pro-peace and pro-Hungarian,” he added. He also said that since the outbreak of the war,
Hungary had provided the largest humanitarian aid to Ukrainians, receiving several hundred thousand refugees, but it refused to get involved in the military conflict.
Different opinion not isolation
He said that when someone holds a different opinion from others, it does not mean isolation, only a dispute. That’s how democracy was born, he said, adding that “functioning in headwind from a political point of view is part of my DNA,” he said. Orbán added that Hungary had been alone in 2015 when it started building a fence and holding the position that migration must be stopped at the border. “We were alone, but we did not get isolated, we were part of the debate,” he said.
In response to an additional question about the war, Orbán said Ukraine was a sovereign country and the Ukrainians must decide if they continue the fight.
“I never try to dictate to the Ukrainians, it is their country, their future, and their life … but I am ready to help them any time,” he said. The prime minister added that during visits to Kyiv and Moscow it became clear to him that neither of the warring sides was ready for ceasefire and they were both convinced that time was on their side. He said that he had tried to create an international pro-peace environment to allow that the warring parties could sooner or later sign a ceasefire agreement.
As a friend of the new president of the United States, Hungary has a huge and unprecedented economic opportunity, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a weekly interview with public radio on Friday.
13th month pension in Hungary remains
The prime minister said there was a direct link between major changes in the world and the finances of Hungarian families as well as the economic outlook for the next few years.
“Things inconcievable a few months ago will become possible next year,” Orbánsaid. Referring to the government’s Demján Sándor Programme, he said it was “unprecedented assistance” to small companies, and it was directly linked to opportunities in global politics. International developments have also created opportunities for cheaper housing and will allow for increasing the purchasing power of wages and a continued 13th month pension programme, he said. “All those will be possible because … we understood global political developments correctly and made preparations accordingly,” he added.
Photo: MTI
Orbán: “war our greatest problem”
Orbán said the war in Ukraine was “our greatest problem” and insisted that without the war “inflation would not have run so high” and energy prices “would not be where they are”, adding that without the EU sanctions against Russia the European economies would be in a much better state.
Had the Democrats won the US elections, Hungary should have needed to prepare a “war budget” next year and would have spent “not only two percent of GDP but three or four … on military purposes”. The Hungarian government, however, “had known that if Donald Trump wins they could prepare a peace budget,” Orbán said. That is why, he said, the government had requested from parliament to wait with tabling the draft budget for the US election to take place, “to see if 2025 would be a peace or a war year, and submit a budget draft accordingly”.
Talking about economic neutraliy and “a new economic policy adapting to these changes,” Orbán said that Hungary’s 21-point action plan would bring positive changes to people’s everyday lives.
EU summit in Budapest today. Photo: MTI
Hungary’s aims in line with the Americans
Orbán acknowledged debate over the “American-Chinese matter”, but said Hungary’s aims were really in line with the Americans’.
Donald Trump and the Americans want to do good business with the Chinese, and we don’t want to do any differently, just reach good agreements, he added.
“Everybody wants that, so it isn’t necessary to take one or the other disputing side. Why not take our own side?” Orban asked. “We have our own Hungarian interests, the Hungarian people are important for us, and we have to do what is right for those interests,” he said, adding that was how Hungary needed to politicise in both the West and the East.
Orbán insisted that great achievements and devopment, and “high quality life based on our own performance” required a commitment to a Hungarian identity and Hungarian interests “to guide us through the political universe”. While “some say we are too small”, Orbán said “we are not small, this is a great nation”, adding that he had seen successful countries of a similar size to Hungary that “cleverly made friends in the world and then turned it into economic gains”.
Trump’s victory is “such a great win that it is visible not only from the Moon but from Mars,” Orbán said. He went on to say that if Trump had won the election in 2020 “these nightmares two years would not have happened; there would have been no war because America would have had a strong leader to make the necessary deals in time.” “That did not happen and we have been paying a terrible price for the past two years; Europeans, with one or two exceptions such as Slovakia or the Vatican, have supported that bad thing,” he said.
Trump seeking peace
Orbán said that Donald Trump, the next US president was “obviously seeking peace rather than war, anti-migration policies rather than migration and family protection rather than gender.” Trump’s policies will “make a change in the world and us Europeans will have to react,” he added.
Concerning the war in Ukraine, Orbán said “military defeat” was “obvious”, and said the US “will get out of this war rather than encourage it”.
“They say a lot of things about Donald Trump, but nobody questions that he doesn’t start wars. He hates war, he’s a real businessman,” Orbán said.
“Europe alone will not be able to finance this war … there are some that would want to do so, but there is an increasing number of those that used to be loud and now silent, and those that cautiously call for adapting to the new situation,” Orbán said.
“And here we are that say that the moment has come to quickly switch from war to peace,” he said, noting that the war had caused huge damage “to the world, Europe, and Hungary.”
The switch from war to peace is under way, Orbán said. “That’s what made the meeting [of the European Political Community] in Budapest so exciting, it has been the largest diplomatic event of Hungary’s history,” Orbán said, and thanked Budapest citizens for “putting up with it”.
“Peace needs strength”, says Orbán
Put to him that one of the warring parties in Ukraine was saying that “peace needs strength, and strength is needed to get to peace”, Orbán said: “That’s a good idea if you’re strong but not so good if the other side is stronger.” He praised Ukraine for the heroic fight they put up in the past two years. “Whether their leaders have steered them in the right direction is for Ukrainians to decide.”
“Europe’s greatest problem is that those that should be consulted are being ignored,” Orbán said.
“If you don’t go to Moscow, Kyiv or Beijing, if you critise and despise Donald Trump rather than treat him as the incoming US president, how are you going to make plans for the future?” Orbán asked.
Referring to his own visits to Kyiv and Moscow, and talks with the presidents of China and Turkiye as well as with US President Biden and Trump, then presidential candidate, Orbán said he had written a subsequent report to his European peers. “Now the situation is exactly what we could foresee … no leader should say they are surprised or expected otherwise, as a result of the Hungarian peace mission all this could be foretold,” he said, adding “not because we can see the future or we are good at guessing the numbers on the lottery: it is because if you communicate you will understand what could come next.”
The next period will be about making swift, important decisions “with a high risk of errors”, and the EPC had come together to support each other in “everyone making their own good decisions,” he said.
He said they looked forward to a meeting with Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank and former prime minister of Italy, about his analysis of the European economy.
European companies pay too much for gas, electricity
The root of the problem is that European companies are currently paying four times the US price for gas and three time the price for electricity, he said.
Orbán said such a competitiveness disadvantage could not be offset by any other measure.
New energy regulations are needed “that don’t ruin European companies and families,” Orbán said. Hungarian families are paying the least for gas and electricity in Europe, “and that is a competitive edge for Hungary that is hard to appreciate until one enters the international arena,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hungary is facing a challenge in finding a market for Hungarian products, he said.
Regarding illegal migration, Orbán said Brussels was the “centre of judicial activism supporting illegal migration”, so change must be achieved there.
Should migration be in the hands of national courts, “it would be easy”, Orbán said. “The trouble is that Brussels interferes in the procedure … that’s the head of the snake.”
He pointed to Italy as an example, “where the government issued excellent laws to curb migration, but the Italian judiciary sent them to Brussels citing concerns that they were incompatible with European law.” Predictably, Brussels then “rejected the excellent regulations made by Italy’s government,” Orbán said.
“They are doing the same to us, but we have rebelled,” he added.
National Consultation
Speaking about the latest National Consultation survey, Orbán said the government’s weight in Brussels was depending on its backing in Hungary. “I can rebel in Brussels because the Hungarian government has the backing of the majority of sensible people who don’t want migration but who stand for a family-friendly government, peace, sensible energy prices and the 13th month pension.”
“It is best if people know in Hungary that, should Brussels’s policy be put through in Hungary, all families would be worse off, and the government needs people to clearly express their support in order to protect itself and families.”
“We need stable positions, and the people can give us that,” he said, calling on people to fill out the consultation.
Read also:
VIDEO: How rude! Romanian President showed his back to PM Orbán for 20 seconds – read more HERE
PM Viktor Orbán was ready to greet him, but Romanian President Klaus Iohannis decided to wait for 20 seconds, showing his back to the Hungarian prime minister. PM Orbán did not understand the rudeness but waited for the President patiently with a confused grin.
The outgoing Romanian President Klaus Iohannisacted quite strangely when he arrived in Budapest for the EPC summit on Thursday morning. PM Viktor Orbán would have greeted him just like all other country leaders, but Iohannis did something unexpected.
After getting out of his car, he did not establish eye contact with PM Orbán and did not walk to him. Instead, he showed his back to the Hungarian prime minister for 20 seconds, standing behind his car and seemingly rearranging his clothes.
PM Orbán grinned but remained patient. PrtScr/X Video/ SzabadonMagyarul/X
News emerged that the Hungarian police made Iohannis wait and circulate the Puskás Aréna, the venue of the summit, for 15 minutes, so the Romanian President became angry. The Romanian Antena3 news channel wrotethat the driver missed the correct stadium entrance. That is why he had to do another round for 15 minutes. Iohannis is well-known for his impatient nature. In 2015, when he first arrived in Paris, he simply threw his coat on the car when nobody took it from him immediately. Even the Romanian media was startled by his deed and called it a controversial, even unfriendly gesture.
Shaking hands a bit later. They still do not seem too happy. Photo: MTI
Later, the Hungarian police said such allegations were only fake news. According to hvg.hu, the police followed the protocol, and nobody missed the stadium entrance.
Congratulating Trump, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis wrote on X: “Romania is a strong and committed Strategic Ally of the US. Through our joint efforts, we will bring peace and prosperity for both our countries and beyond, defending our common interests”, Anadolu news agency wrote.
Romania reiterates support for Moldova amid election, referendum
European leaders reiterated their support Thursday for Moldova as that country concluded a presidential election and referendum that saw accusations of external influence, particularly by President Maia Sandu.
A statement by the Moldovan presidency said Sandu held talks with several of her EU counterparts on the sidelines of the fifth European Political Community summit in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
“We, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, together with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, reiterate our firm support for the Republic of Moldova following the meeting with President Maia Sandu,” it said.
It said they congratulate Moldovans for their “commitment to democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” which they said was seen in the presidential election that ended with Sandu securing a second term following a runoff earlier this month.
The statement indicated that European leaders welcomed the result of the referendum, which was held simultaneously Oct. 20, which enshrined Moldova’s EU accession aspirations in the country’s Constitution.
Moscow challenges the outcome
“We stand in solidarity with the Republic of Moldova in its quest for peace, prosperity and stability and reaffirm its rightful place in a free and democratic Europe,” it said, indicating that it happened despite “unprecedented attacks and foreign interference.”
“We strongly condemn documented attempts to influence election results through information manipulation, corruption and vote-buying schemes,” it said, adding that they reaffirm their determination to support Moldova in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Sandu won more than 55% of the vote in a presidential runoff Nov. 3, securing a second term as incumbent president. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov challenged Sandu to provide evidence of the alleged interference.
Read also:
Wizz Air challenged Romanian competitor but will not be happy for this decision – read more HERE
Europe’s peace, stability and prosperity are in danger, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the plenary session of European Political Community (EPC) summit in Budapest on Thursday.
Europe’s peace, stability, prosperity under threat
Europe’s peace, stability and prosperity are in danger, Prime Minister Viktor Orbánsaid at the plenary session of European Political Community (EPC) summit in Budapest on Thursday. “The situation Europe is in is difficult, complex and dangerous,” Orbán said. He noted that Russia’s war against Ukraine is in its third year and there was a threat of escalation in the conflict in the Middle East.
Photo: FB/Orbán
Meanwhile, north Africa is being destabilised by conflicts, and illegal migration was an “unending challenge” for Europe, he added. Orbán said that after the Cold War, the prospect of a re-emergence of geopolitical blocs was looming over the global economy, which called into question the foundations of the European model.
‘We must examine ways to return to peace in Europe’, says Orbán
The prime minister told a key summit of European leaders in Budapest on Thursday that “we must examine ways to return to peace in Europe.” In his opening address of the European Political Community (EPC) summit, Orbán underlined that the security challenges faced by Europe would be reviewed at the plenary session.
Photo: FB/Orbán
The questions to be discussed include “how to return to peace in Europe, how can Europe take greater responsibility for its own security and peace in the future, how can the continent be more successful in enforcing its own interests and how can the continent remain a decisive player at talks and in developments that will decide its future.”
These issues have become particularly relevant with the US presidential election just having taken place, he said, adding that “the future of our transatlantic relations is an indispensable component of the European security architecture.” The answers given now could decide Europe’s future for decades, Orbán said, adding that “we believe that together we can be stronger than on our own.”
Photo: FB/Orbán
Photo: FB/Orbán
Orbán and Scholz with Edi Rama in Budapest. Photo: FB/Orbán
Orbán calls for better cooperation on migration with countries of origin, transit
“Better practical cooperation is needed with the countries of origin and the transit countries in order to eliminate illegal migration and human smuggling networks,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told a plenary session of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Budapest on Thursday.
The challenges related to migration, economic security and connectivity will be discussed in working groups after the plenary session, the prime minister said. Migration is included in the EPC summit’s agenda as a priority topic for the second time, he added. In order to achieve the development goals, the countries of origin and transit must be better supported, Orbán said.
President Zelennsky talking. Photo: FB/Orbán
“We have to decide whether we are ready to set up centres in safe third countries to process asylum applications and arrange for returns,” he said, adding that Thursday’s debate might be a step forward towards achieving tangible results. “I sense a new momentum in Europe in this regard,” the prime minister said.
A total of 47 heads of state and government and leaders of international organisations have been invited to the summit.
Hungary ‘important, valued NATO member’
Orbán had bilateral talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Budapest, the venue of the European Political Community summit, the PM’s press chief said in a statement on Thursday. At the meeting held to review cooperation between Hungary and NATO, it was agreed that Hungary “is an important and valued member” of the alliance, the statement said. Orbán and Rutte agreed to continue pursuing “intensive joint work”, the press chief said.
Hungarian prime minister discusses with former ECB head
Orbán on Thursday had a meeting with Mario Draghi, the one-time Italian premier and former president of the European Central Bank, who has arrived in Budapest at Orbán’s invitation, the PM’s press chief said in a statement.
On the meeting’s agenda was the EU’s competitiveness problems, in light of Draghi’s strategic assessment report on European competitiveness, the statement said. Draghi will also participate in the EU summit in Budapest on Friday, it added.
Zelensky talks about “peace through strength” in Budapest
“I addressed the European Political Community Summit in Budapest to emphasize that the concept of “peace through strength” has proven its realism and effectiveness more than once. Now, it is needed once more“, President Zelensky wrote on his Facebook after speaking to the EPC summit in Budapest. He also said that Ukraine would not accept concessions to Russian President Putin and such a move would be suicidal for Europe.Photo: FB/Orbán
Here’s his speech:
Hungarian public broadcaster: Zelensky’s speech at Budapest summit was not open to the press
Contrary to false charges by the left-liberal media that public media channel M1 stopped its live broadcast of the Budapest summit of the European Political Community when Volodymyr Zelensky began his speech, the fact is that the Ukrainian president’s speech was not open to the press, MTVA’s press and marketing office said in a statement on Thursday.Hungarian left-liberal news portals including hvg.hu, 444.hu, magyarnarancs.hu, klubradio.hu, mfor.hu and hang.hu misled the public, “as they have done many times in the past”, the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund said in the statement.
After Prime Minister Viktor Orban officially opened the summit, the event was held behind closed doors and the organisers did not open the Ukrainian president’s speech for broadcast by M1 or any international media provider, it added.
Read also:
Americans uncover Hungarian nationals, firms helping Russia with military equipment – read more HERE
Fidesz strongman “sends home” US Ambassador Pressman “with his wife”, Pressman warns of PM Orbán’s “gambling problem” – details in THISarticle
Ambassador David Pressman arrived in Hungary in 2022, and clashes between him and the Orbán-led Hungarian government have become permanent. Following Trump’s victory, government-close influencers and strongmen wrote that he should go home. One even said he should take his influencers, Ursula von der Leyen and his unnamed “wife”, as well. Pressman held a reception on Wednesday at the US Embassy in Budapest to celebrate democracy, in his words. He also criticised the Orbán cabinet, saying they gambled the US-Hungary relationship during this election. And the consequences are severe.
Fidesz strongman says Pressman should take home his “cute little wife” with von der Leyen
Zsolt Bayer, the owner of party membership card No. 5 in PM Orbán’s Fidesz party, titledhis article in government-close Magyar Nemzet, “Pressman, go home!” He wrote about the deep state, woke, cancel culture, and LGBTQ, claiming that the American deep state tried to interfere in Hungary’s domestic policies with the help of Pressman. Bayer called the ambassador a viceroy and said the USA would return to the path of normalcy following Trump’s victory.
Bayer also said Pressman should take his influencers, press, von der Leyen and his “cute little wife”. “It’s over!”, he concluded.
Ambassador Pressman (c). Photo: FB/Embassy of the USA
Hungary suffers from PM Orbán’s gambling problem
Yesterday evening, the American ambassador invited the Hungarian press to the Embassy of the United States “to celebrate democracy”. He said he does not do politics and will never comment on partisan politics.
He reminded the participants that they sat in a room where 35 years before President George H.W. Bush had met with young Viktor Orbán hoping for a partnership between the two countries. “It was the promise of democracy that brought our leaders together on that evening, and we gather again in this room tonight to celebrate democracy”.
Photo: DNH, Alpár Kató
Concerning the presidential election, he slammed PM Orbán for gambling “with the U.S.-Hungary relationship. A relationship that has been altered by his gamesmanship. The damage caused runs deeper than a four-year term of a President, because it is rooted in an impulse to transform something big and lasting, a relationship between Allies – between strong nations – into something smaller and fleeting.” Later, he added what Orbán did was “gambling with the alliance that secures your safety, like a stack of chips in a game of poker”. He highlighted that Hungary’s allies saw that gambling and added Hungary must swallow somehow the cost of that gambling. “Gambling with our alliance, in the long run, will always be a losing proposition”, he said.
Trump won – Orbán won. But will Hungary win? And what could have happened if Trump had lost? Source: Facebook / Orbán Viktor
U.S.-Hungary relationship will not be the same
Pressman underscored that no alliances can last for long because gambling will deteriorate trust between the nations, and that kills longstanding commitments.
He also said that the American elections will not change Hungary. “I know American elections matter beyond our borders, but they do not determine your destiny – you do”, he concluded.
Photo: DNH, Alpár Kató
The Hungarian government keeps repeating that the economic problems Hungary faces are caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the emerging blocks in world trade and politics. Since Trump promised solutions, they suggested that our problems could be solved if Trump won. For example, the Orbán cabinet always submitted and accepted the country’s next budget before June (the 2024 budget was accepted in May 2023). This year was the only exception when Orbán said they would only discuss the budget in November because they wanted to wait for the outcome of the American presidential elections.
Pressman giving an interview to Euronews and government-close Hír TV. He slammed the latter in his speech, too. Photo: FB/Embassy of the USA
Read also:
What can PM Orbán and Hungary gain from Trump’s victory? – read more HERE
Trump’s victory threatens forint with collapse, Orbán cabinet happy and congratulates – details in THISarticle
In the first presidential term of President Trump, he did not know who Orbán was, even though he was the Hungarian prime minister, the first leader who endorsed him after announcing his candidacy. Times changed. Trump regularly praised Orbán’s policies in his speeches and interviews before the election. Thus, Orbán can expect probably the best American-Hungarian relations in history. Is that a realistic expectation? Will he receive support from Washington, or will Trump slam his China policies? What about the Republicans who see Orbán as a national security threat?
We wrote in THISarticle that PM Orbánmight become a policymaker in the United States thanks to his close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump. Based on informants of Szabad Európa, Trump is the kind of person who gives great value to personal relationships, and since Orbán always told him what he wanted to hear, their nexus is probably the best in history if we take just US presidents and Hungarian prime ministers.
Will Orbán be as popular in the USA as Kossuth was?
The only exception may be Lajos Kossuth, immensely popular as a freedom fighter and an advocate of civil rights in the USA after the Russian-Habsburg oppression of the 1848-1849 freedom fight. Kossuth spent almost a year in the USA popularising the Hungarian cause, average Americans welcomed him as a hero and even President Lincoln allegedly took one of his most well-known messages in his famous Gettysburg Address from Kossuth.
Orbán and Trump in 2019. Trump did not know Orbán then. Photo: Facebook.com/orbanviktor
Kossuth said in 1852 that “the spirit of our age is Democracy. All for the people, and all by the people. Nothing about the people without the people – That is Democracy!”. Lincoln toldpeople after the Battle of Gettysburg that “these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Trump’s relationship with Orbán may be in another universe
Historians note that President George H. W. Bush regularly asked the opinion of the first democratically-elected Hungarian prime minister, József Antall, about Central and Eastern European issues. However, PM Orbán probably hopes for more concerning the new Trump era.
According to Szabad Európa, the Trumpist wing of the Republican Party considers Orbán a hero because of the Hungarian government’s “anti-woke”, “anti-gender” and “pro-family” policies. The leader of an American Republican think tank said there was a religious, right-wing voter group, the new rightists, who regard anti-gender and anti-LGBTQ policies as the most important. Trump and other Republican leaders established good connections with Orbán because of the Hungarian prime minister’s efficient struggles on the issue.
A fan at Tusványos Summer University in Transylvania. Photo: Facebook/Viktor Orbán
A government-close think tank’s employee told Szabad Európa that the Hungarian government’s family policy was in one package with being “anti-woke”, and anti-LGBTQ, just like strengthening the Christian middle class. Therefore, it was attractive for Trump and VP candidate Vance.
Orbán tried to incorporate Hungarian experts and companies into the Trump team. A former Hungarian diplomat stationed in Washington confirmed there might be people paid by the Hungarian government who work for Trump-close think tanks. One of them is the KÓD Market Research Institute. KÓD plays an important role in Hungary as a subcontractor.
Some Republican strongmen see Orbán as a national security threat
A Republican Senate official, on the other hand, told Szabad Európa that Republican officials travelling, and giving addresses in Hungary did not get a full view of the Hungarian government’s policies. They only learned about anti-LGBTQ but were not told what the Orbán cabinet stands for e.g. concerning the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Vance is also a fan of Orbán. Will he remain one in office? Photo: FB/JD Vance
Furthermore, what the Hungarian government does concerning taxes or the economy is the exact opposite of what Republicans believe should be done. Therefore, cooperation in policies is unimaginable. Zsuzsanna Végh, an analyst of the German Marshall Fund, believes Orbán can serve as an example for Trump of how a democratically-elected leader can reduce checks and balances and the rule of law and create an illiberal state while remaining a member of the democratic world.
What is important for Orbán?
Szabad Európa learned that most experts believe the Hungarian government does not want more than “positive silence” concerning the Hungarian-American relationships. They want the White House to let them do what they did before. That means the Orbán cabinet will not struggle to sign a new double taxation treatyor help Hungarian citizens born abroad to get US visas.
Végh said Orbán’s importance will increase in the EU thanks to Trump’s victory, but there are many conflicts of interest between the Trump-led USA and Hungary. One of the most important is the relationship with China.
China will be a red flag for the new US administration. Photo: FB/Orbán
Some Republicans believe Orbán is a national security threat due to his Russian, and Chinese relations
The Orbán cabinet regularly argues that Hungary, as a commercially open and small country short in capital, constantly needs foreign investments. Therefore, they trade with everybody, thus remaining “economically neutral”. That is why some Republicans regard Orbán as a national security threat.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell slammed the Hungarian government’s close economic relationships with China and Hungary’s closeness with Iran. Furthermore, he believes Orbán helps Moscow by baulking EU and Transatlantic initiatives against Russia’s illegal aggression in Ukraine.
McConnell added that Trump was charmed by Orbán, but he and his supporters are in a minority in the Republican party, and serious people are not concerned with Orbán. He said Russians and the Chinese use Hungary as a backdoor to infiltrate the USA. He said nobody wanted to anger Trump by criticising Orbán, but they do not believe in the Hungarian prime minister.
China, Ukraine, Russia
A senior employee of a Trump-close think tank said the USA needed a stabilised Europe with a free Ukraine to turn their full attention to China. But Hungary’s China policies are problematic, and the Trump administration will raise that question soon.
A Hungarian diplomat answering Szabad Európa’s questions said Hungary should reduce its relationship with China to a pragmatic level, but that needs a well-prepared professional team, which Orbán lacks. He said the Orbán cabinet should, without promoting it, convince Trump that Hungary needs Chinese investments. It is a major question whether the Hungarian government will be able to achieve that goal in the next few years.
UPDATE: Hungarian opposition parties’ reactions
Hungary’s opposition parties have responded to Republican nominee Donald Trump’s victory at the US presidential election. László Toroczkai, the leader of the Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk) party, congratulated Trump on X, and called on sitting Hungarian
Ambassador David Pressmann to “pack his bags”.
Jobbik congratulated Trump on Facebook, saying they trusted that after his inauguration, the Russia-Ukraine war would be ended swiftly “as he promised”, and the conflict in the Middle East would be swiftly resolved.
Deputy party leader Koloman Brenner said in a statement that “Trump’s election could lead to even stricter economic and political measures in the US’s China policy, which would affect the whole of Europe”. “Trump’s victory could bring gestures in US-Hungarian relations, but they are not expected to be anything but superficial. Diplomatic relations have reached rock bottom … and that will hinder Hungary in pursuing an independent foreign policy focusing on our own interests,” Brenner said.
Momentum leader Márton Tompos said Trump’s economic and political goals were the contrary to Hungary’s interests. “The plans he has floated could rock world trade and he is expected to sharpen conflicts rather than smoothing them,” he said, calling on Europe to take steps to “resolve Ukraine’s situation … as it will be the main player to shoulder that responsibility in the future”.
Tisza leader Péter Magyar congratulated Trump in a statement, saying: “America has decided. We congratulate President Trump and the members of the Senate and Congress!” The US is one of Hungary’s most important allies and economic partners, he said. “The Tisza party is ready to cooperate with the new administration and to further develop ties between our countries.”
Read also:
The background of the Trump-Orbán bromance: the Hungarian prime minister says what he wants to hear – read more HERE
A new European strategy will be needed in connection with Ukraine, the Hungarian prime minister said in his address at the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States held in Bishkek on Wednesday morning, after a Republican victory in the US presidential election.
The Republican victory will “put the question on the table for us European leaders” whether Europe was alone capable to continue providing military and financial support to Ukraine.
“I have serious doubts in that regard, this is why a new European strategy will be needed,” Orbánsaid, adding that the upcoming summit of European leaders in Budapest on Thursday could serve as a platform for taking the first steps.
PM Orbán’s arrival. Photo: FB/Orbán
The summit will bring together 47 heads of state and government in the biggest-ever diplomatic event in Hungary’s history, the prime minister said.
The most difficult question on the agenda will be the future of the 50 billion euro EU-US loan package earmarked for Ukraine under an earlier decision by the G7, he said.
Photo: FB/Orbán
Massive pro-war majority in the EU
Concerning the economy, Orbán said that Hungary’s trade turnover with Turkic countries had exceeded 5 billion dollars for the first time last year, adding that in 2023 over 5,000 students from those countries had applied for scholarships at Hungarian universities.
The prime minister said Hungary had started implementing its commitment of contributing 100 million dollars to the Turkic Investment Fund, and said “we hope that we will welcome investments by many Turkic companies and we will contribute to your economic growth in an increasingly large share.”
Referring to the latest summit of the organisation, Orbán noted the decision made on setting up a draught prevention institute at OTS’s European centre in Budapest to find solutions to environmental challenges. He said the new institute had already launched its first major programme aimed at establishing a Hungarian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek university cooperation in the area of the Fergana Valley’s forestation.
Concerning Europe and the debate about the war in Ukraine, Orbán said “there continues to be a massive pro-war majority in the European Union” despite military experts seeing a defeat of the European strategy on the battlefield. Hungary took over the EU presidency in July “and I launched a peace mission and I am grateful to Mr President Erdogan for supporting my efforts.” As a result of those efforts “discussion has started on ways to replace the war strategy with a peace strategy,” he added.
Orbán noted that the new European Commission was set to be formed on December 1, but said “I think we cannot expect meaningful change in Brussels’ approach towards the Turkic world … we need to prepare for a continued, distanced position.” He said, however, that he advocated a pro-active policy concerning the EU and “delegate all important issues to Brussels”. The Hungarian government will promote those issues at European political and economic forums and will “support all initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between the Turkic world and Europe,” he said.
Pointing to the EU’s declining competitiveness, Orbán said the Hungarian EU presidency had prepared a competitiveness pact, adding that European leaders would discuss and possibly adopt the draft in Budapest on Thursday. The economic measures proposed in the draft could give a massive boost to the European economy, he said, adding that “I hope we will succeed”.
Concluding his address, Orbán said members of the audience were welcome to attend OTS’s next informal meeting set for Budapest in the first half of next year.
Orbán meets Uzbek president
Orbán met Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president of Uzbekistan, for talks ahead of a summit of the Organisation of Turkic States in Bishkek, his press chief told MTI on Wednesday.At their talks, the two leaders highlighted a “spectacular development” of bilateral relations in recent years, and noted the two countries’ signing a strategic partnership agreement in 2021, Bertalan Havasi said. Energy cooperation now covers a number of areas and Uzbekistan seeks to join the Green Energy Corridor project, a scheme crucial for Hungary’s energy security, Havasi added. The talks also touched upon cooperation in water management, transport, and education, as well as topical international issues.
Orbán receives Turkic States Organisation’s highest award
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has received this year’s Supreme Order of Turkic World at a summit of the Organisation of Turkic States in Bishkek, his press chief told MTI on Wednesday.
The honour was presented to Orbán by Sadyr Zhaparov, the president of Kyrgyzstan, Bertalan Havasi said. It is awarded to outstanding leaders for their significant contribution to strengthening unity and cooperation among Turkic states and for nurturing their common cultural heritage. The Hungarian prime minister was given the honour “in recognition of his outstanding efforts towards strengthening ties between Hungary and the Turkic states and enhancing cooperation within the Turkic world”. Accepting the honour, Orbán called it an important goal to maintain “a live connection” between Hungary and the Turkic world.Photo: FB/Orbán
Informal Organisation of Turkic States summit to be held in Budapest
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó addressed a meeting of the council of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) in Bishkek on Wednesday. Szijjártó said annual trade between Hungary and OTS member states had climbed over EUR 5bn, rising 20pc in a year and by 350pc over 15 years.
He noted that Hungary had started building ties with OTS members close to 15 years earlier and had gained observer status in the OTS six years ago.
Szijjártó said energy cooperation with OTS members had boosted Hungary’s energy security, pointing to gas deliveries from Turkiye and Azerbaijan, as well as the start of production at a Kazakh gas field by Hungarian oil and gas company MOL.
Hungary has started the transfer of USD 100m pledged for the Turkic Investment Fund, while the OTS Drought Prevention Institute in Budapest has launched its first project, he added. He said more than 5,000 students from OTS members had applied for the 1,040 scholarships Hungary offers each year to enroll at local universities.
Hungary will host an informal OTS summit in Budapest next year,
he added.
Read also:
Alisher Navoi, icon of Uzbek literature, honoured with statue unveiling in Hungary – photos and more in THISarticle
Discover Kurultaj: Hungary’s grandest traditional event captured in photos
Based on the latest poll shared by Medián, the opposition Tisza Party is ahead of PM Orbán’s Fidesz. However, they have decided not to field candidates in Hungary’s interim elections, party leader Péter Magyar said on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to the latest poll of Medián, the supporters of Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party won a majority in Hungary. Concerning the total number of eligible voters, Tisza gained 34% support, while Orbán’s Fidesz stands in second place with 32%. Additionally, only Mi Hazánk (Our Homeland), a Hungarian far-right party, could get parliamentary seats if the elections were held this Sunday.
Concerning those having a party preference, Tisza’s lead is even more significant with 43% against 39%. Finally, in the group of voters who promise to participate in the upcoming elections, Tisza garnered 46%, while Fidesz gained only 39% in the latest poll.
PM Viktor Orbán has not been defeated since the 2006 general elections. Furthermore, his Fidesz party has not fallen behind any parties in the polls since summer 2006.
23 October commemoration, demonstration of the Tisza Party in Budapest. Photo: MTI/Balogh Zoltán
Magyar’s Tisza not participating in interim elections
In his post, Magyarsaid “the government’s continuous rule by decree has rendered parliament’s role negligible, without any meaningful control by deputies over government decisions.” He said Tisza’s possible winning a mandate would not eliminate ruling Fidesz’s two-thirds majority in parliament, and a single Tisza representative “would not have any powers” in the assembly.
During the period of “hardly more than one year” before the next general election in Hungary “Tisza will not assist to a puppet show staged by Fidesz and the parliamentary opposition, which no longer has tangible support,” Magyar said.
He added that his party would focus on the 2026 spring election, enjoying the “backing of millions of Hungarians”.
Read also:
Hungarian Tisza Party announcesopen selection process for officials amid economic critique
The Hungarian forint is at a 2-year low against the American dollar following Donald Trump’s decisive victory. All regional currencies are struggling because the strong dollar is bad news for emerging currencies like the Czech koruna or the Polish zloty. Meanwhile, PM Viktor Orbán, who established a strong relationship with Trump in the past few years, congratulated the newly-elected President and talked about a “spectacular victory” and “the greatest comeback in Western political history”. FM Szijjártó expressed hopes towards a ‘top shape’ cooperation with America again.
Trump’s victory did not help the forint. The American dollar is at a 2-year-high against the Hungarian national currency and all emerging currencies are struggling in the region. The USD was at a historic peak against the forint on 8 October 2022 because of the economic difficulties following the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine.
The euro is also at a 22-month peak against the forint. The last time the EU currency was stronger was in December 2022 with 418. The exchange rate is now at 410/EUR but it was 412 earlier today.
Photo: FB/Orbán
PM Orbán congratulates, talks about “spectacular victory”
Prime Minister Viktor Orbáncommented on the US presidential election on Wednesday and said “I see a spectacular victory, perhaps the greatest comeback in Western political history, a huge fight”. Speaking about Donald Trump, Orbán said that the Republican politician had first faced prison and a confiscation of his assets. He later faced an assassination attempt while “the whole media world of the US turned against him”, Orbán said, adding that “he has still won.”
He said it gave a great encouragement to everyone “who believes in will, struggle and perseverance, and a hope for peace for the world.”
It was hoped early this year that pro-peace forces would become a majority in the Western world by the end of the year and would defeat the pro-war camp, the prime minister said, adding that “there is now a great chance” to achieve that. He expressed hope for the economy to gain heat and for US-Hungary relations “to return to their golden era.”
Photo: Facebook/Orbán Balázs
“We have a number of plans that we can carry out together with President Donald Trump in the coming years,” Orbán said in a video published on Facebook. Interestingly, Orbán was addressed as President in the Reels video.
US-Hungary cooperation can get into a top shape
“The decision of American voters gives us good hopes that political cooperation between the United States and Hungary could again get into a top shape,” the foreign minister said on Facebook on Wednesday morning.
Péter Szijjártó highlighted that bilateral political relations had been at their peak during the first presidency of Donald Trump, when “dialogue and talks were in the focus of efforts aimed at resolving conflicts that jeopardised global security”. “We have similar positions concerning peace, illegal immigration and the protection of the family,” the minister said.
“We have the best ever chance so far for peace to return to Ukraine after almost a thousand days,” he added.
‘This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,’ Trump says
US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump early Wednesday thanked Americans for the apparent “honor of being elected” to the nation’s highest office, Anadolu news agency wrote.
“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president,” Trump told supporters in Palm Beach, Florida, referring to his earlier term in office, in 2017-2021, before Joe Biden won four years as the 46th US president.
According to Fox News projections, Trump ensured victory after defeating his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s presidential election.
“This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” Trump added.
Pledging to fight for every citizen, he said: “We’re going to help our country heal.”
The win would make Trump only the second US president to serve non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland, who served two separate terms in the late 1800s, with President Benjamin Harrison in between.
‘America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate’
Winning the vote was “very nice,” said Trump.
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate. We have taken back control of the Senate,” he added.
Turning to border security, an issue he pressed on the campaign trail, he promised to “fix” the borders.
“We’re gonna have to seal up those borders … We want people to come back in, but we have to let them come back in, but they have to come in legally,” Trump said.
Stressing security, he said: “We want to have security. We want to have things be good safe … We want a strong and powerful military, and ideally we don’t have to use it.”
Trump says he is ‘working to stop wars,’ not start them
During his first term, the US had no wars for four years, except for the defeat of terrorist group Daesh/ISIS, Trump said.
“We defeated ISIS in record time but we had no wars. They said: ‘He will start a war.’ I’m not going to start (one), (I’m) working to stop wars. But this is also a massive victory for democracy and for freedom,” he added.
Stressing that being the US president is “the most important job” in the world, Trump claimed that he had a “great” first term.
“Nothing will stop me from keeping my word to you, the people. We will make America safe, strong, prosperous, powerful and free again.
“And I’m asking every citizen all across our land to join me in this noble and righteous endeavor. That’s what it is. It’s time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us. It’s time to unite.”
Trump’s address saw the attendance of family members, allies, and close advisers, including tech billionaire Elon Musk.
“We have a new star. A star is born,” he said, referring to Musk, who endorsed Trump and is expected to play a role in his administration.
Separately, his running mate JD Vance thanked Trump for the trust he placed in him.
“I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America,” Vance said in a short address to supporters.
Read also:
PM Orbán and Hungary may become a policymaker in the USA if Trump wins: the background of their bromance – read more HERE
Hungary highly values Kyrgyzstan for its endeavours to promote global security, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a statement after meeting the Kyrgyz president on Tuesday.
Orbán praised Kyrgyzstan’s dependable action against terrorist organisations and its pro-peace position. The prime minister said Hungary generally thrived in times of peace and was glad that Kyrgyzstan was “also on the side of peace.”
He said that Hungary, as an EU member, was helping Kyrgyzstan in European political forums to ensure the broadest possible cooperation with the bloc. He noted that bilateral relations have been raised to the level of a strategic partnership. Accordingly, two-way trade is set to double this year, he added.
At their last meeting, the Kyrgyz president said bilateral cooperation should focus on hydropower and agriculture, Orbán said, noting that a Hungarian-Kyrgyz investment fund has been set up to finance the building of a hydroelectric power plant and farm initiatives. Hungarian agricultural and food companies are now present in the country “with good results”, he said.
Orbán visits Kyrgyzstan. Photo: MTI
Meanwhile, Orbán assured the Kyrgyz president that Hungary would support the Kyrgyz initiative to protect mountain culture and way of life at the upcoming Coptic summit in Baku.
Also, 200 Kyrgyz students are studying with a scholarship in Hungary, and Hungary was ready to receive even more students in light of the strong demand.
Orbán said he had expressed his gratitude that Hungarian can now be studied in Kyrgyzstan.
Orbán noted that Hungary joined the Turkic Council in Kyrgyzstan six years ago and has since become a political member of that community. In 2025, an informal Turkish Council meeting will be held in Budapest.
Orbán said Hungarians were the only people from the East that migrated to the West and planted roots here, but they had not forgotten their origins, and always treated the Turkic peoples, including the Kyrgyz, with “friendly and fraternal feelings”.
Orbán visits Kyrgyzstan. Photo: MTI
During his official visit, Orbán and high-level Kyrgyz officials are scheduled to sign several agreements to advance bilateral cooperation, the PM’s press chief said earlier.
Orbán will also participate in a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Organisation of Turkic States held in Biskek on Wednesday.
Hungary, Kyrgyzstan to further develop mutually beneficial cooperation
Hungary and Kyrgyzstan plan to further develop mutually beneficial cooperation, which has been raised to the level of confirmed strategic partnership, the foreign minister said in Bishkek on Tuesday.
The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó saying that the relevant agreement was signed earlier in the day. Agreements on air transport, customs and justice affairs, as well as higher education scholarships were also signed, he added.
“All this goes to show that Hungary-Kyrgyz cooperation covers an especially broad area,” he said.
Szijjártó said that economic cooperation was a priority and he welcomed record-high bilateral trade last year, which has doubled this year.
“This clearly shows that both Hungarian and Kyrgyz economic players greatly profit from this cooperation,” he said.
He added that work was under way to further develop cooperation in agriculture and food production. Following successful cooperation in the area of maize seeds, he said, chances are high that honey and lamb from Kyrgyzstan will reach European Union markets through Hungarian trading companies.
“We are setting up a Hungarian seed plant here, and a hydropower plant is being built under the arrangements of cooperation between Hungarian and Kyrgyz companies,” he said.
Szijjártó also said that Hungary is popular among Kyrgyz university students, and 200 of them will get a chance to study at Hungarian universities with a scholarship. More than 600 applications have been submitted for these places, mostly in medical and engineering faculties, he said.
“We will develop cooperation between the two countries in the upcoming period, especially in areas linked to environmental protection and boosting the green economy,” he said.
“We are in agreement that all countries must set their respective economies on the path of growth in a responsible way, which means competitiveness and environmental protection must go hand in hand,” he added.
He praised Kyrgyzstan’s resolute action taken against terrorist organisations, and added that the more successful the fight against terrorism was in Central Asia, the fewer migratory waves could be expected in Europe.
“Accordingly, we support the quickest possible ratification of a cooperation pact between Kyrgyzstan and the EU,” he said.
