Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Hungarian model: being a member of the EU and NATO do not rule out good relations with Russia

Hungarian model: being a member of the EU and NATO do not rule out good relations with Russia

Dialogue is now more important than ever, and this means speaking to others besides just the Western media, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook on Saturday, where he shared an interview he had given to Russian news channel Izvestia.

In the interview, Szijjártó said the Hungarian model had proven “very clearly” that being a member of the European Union and NATO did not rule out good relations with Russia. The minister expressed hope that this position would be supported by other countries’ ties with Russia as well.

Szijjártó said he saw no need for Hungary to mediate dialogue between Russia and the West, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken twice with both US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in recent days. He noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was set to have talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also preparing to speak with Putin.

“It seems to me that a wave of dialogue has been launched, and this is the best possible news we can get,”


he said. “Because for us central Europeans — we’re not a big country in central Europe, for sure — it is our core national interest . to have a pragmatic and a civilised relationship between East and West.”

Asked about Hungary’s attitude towards Russian proposals against NATO’s eastward expansion, Szijjártó said Hungary understood them.

Szijjártó said that hopefully the issue could be resolved because “if you base your relationship on mutual respect then there’s no obstacle, basically”.

Asked about reports that the UK and the US were sending 1,000 troops to central Europe, mainly to Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, Szijjártó said he was not aware of the situation in the other countries, but the report was untrue in the case of Hungary.

“We have NATO forces on our soil, which is the Hungarian army,”


Szijjártó said. “The Hungarian army is a NATO army. And according to the current situation, the Hungarian army is in appropriate shape to protect the country. So we don’t need external forces on our soil.”

As a NATO member, however, Hungary is constantly cooperating with other member states, the minister said. Hungary has agreements in place on training missions and exchange programmes, “but nothing out of this normally ongoing cooperation takes place”, he added.

Commenting on an announcement by Croatia that it would not get involved in a potential war in Ukraine, Szijjarto said Hungary had learned its lesson from history that central Europe tended to lose out in conflicts between East and West.

“That’s why instead of making theories for some unprecedented events, we’d rather ask everybody to cool down the tension,” he said, adding that countries should “use the toolkit of diplomacy”.

Hungary does not want to see a return to the Cold War, he said, adding that the best way to avoid it was “civilised, pragmatic, trust and respect-based dialogue”.


Asked about the situation of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, Szijjártó called it a “tough issue”. There are some 150,000 ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine, he noted. “They are not migrants. This is a community which is indigenous. This community has been living there for centuries,” he said.

Szijjártó said the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine were being constantly violated since 2016, with the government infringing on ethnic Hungarians’ right to use their mother tongue in education, public administration, the media and culture.

Every now and then new proposals are submitted to the Ukrainian parliament on further restrictions to minority rights, he said. “And this is something that we cannot accept.”

Szijjártó said

"Hungary was not serving Russia’s interests by protecting the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine. “And our national community must get back the rights which have been taken away from them,” Szijjártó said."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×