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News in Brief

FM: The situation of ethnic minorities in Ukraine is unacceptable and seriously unlawful

Feb 21, 2020

Péter Szijjártó said that the Ukrainian deputy prime minister’s visit to Hungary scheduled for March would hopefully bring the parties closer to an agreement on minority rights in Ukraine.

News in Brief

Official slams “unacceptable” Ukrainian laws which discriminate against ethnic Hungarians in the country

Jan 29, 2020

“It’s time for Hungary and Ukraine to engage in high-level talks. The legitimate representatives of Hungary and the Transcarpathian Hungarian community are prepared to do so,” Zsolt Németh said.

News in Brief

Government doubles support for ethnic Hungarians

Dec 23, 2019

Funds for the scheme that supports Hungarian education and culture in communities beyond the borders will be doubled to HUF 2 billion (EUR 6m) in 2020.

News in Brief

President Áder receives religious leaders from ethnic Hungarian communities

Dec 18, 2019

President János Áder welcomed religious leaders from Hungarian communities in neighboring countries for a ceremonial lunch at the presidential palace on Tuesday.

Blog

Romanian crowd storms Hungarian cemetery in Transylvania: an ugly incident and illegal

Jun 07, 2019 - Zoltán Kovács

Yesterday afternoon, a Romanian crowd broke into an Austro-Hungarian military cemetery in Transylvania, despite heavy police presence and a human chain of ethnic Hungarians protesting peacefully. In Budapest, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó summoned the Romanian ambassador, who refused to appear.

News in Brief

Romanians break into Hungarian WWI graveyard

Jun 07, 2019

An angry, Romanian crowd broke into a WWI-era Austro-Hungarian military cemetery on Thursday, surging past a picket of praying, ethnic Hungarians and a massive police presence.

News in Brief

Hungary launches next phase of Transylvanian Economic Development Program

May 20, 2019

Hunor Kelemen, the head of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, said the Hungarian economic development program is creating jobs, boosting farmers’ competitiveness and paving the way to markets

News in Brief

Hungarian government welcomes “sweeping victory” of Croatia’s ethnic Hungarian HMDK party in minority self-government election

May 07, 2019

In Sunday’s vote, 365 Hungarian representatives were elected to fill posts in 11 counties

News in Brief

PM Orbán visits family of one millionth ethnic Hungarian to receive citizenship

Apr 18, 2019

In 2010, when the ruling Fidesz party came to power, one of their first measures was to significantly simplify the process of granting Hungarian citizenship

News in Brief

Serbian President apologizes to ethnic Hungarians

Apr 15, 2019

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has apologized to ethnic Hungarians for the “irresponsible” statements made by opposition party Movement of Free Citizens

News in Brief

Deputy PM Semjén and four ethnic Hungarian leaders sign declaration on cooperation within the EU

Feb 25, 2019

Under the agreement the parties will jointly promote the interests of Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin in the European Union

News in Brief

FM: Hungary will continue to monitor Ukraine's minority policies

Dec 05, 2018

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary will continue blocking NATO-Ukraine Committee meetings as long as Ukraine systematically curbs the rights of ethnic Hungarians living there

Blog

FM Péter Szijjártó: Hungary backs Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence, but we’re watching the minority issues closely

Dec 05, 2018

Hungary’s position on Ukraine remains clear and unwavering, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó made that plain in his statements at a press conference on Tuesday while attending the NATO meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.

News in Brief

FM: Hungary is ready to take on a larger role in NATO missions

Oct 26, 2018

Minister Szijjártó said that the government would soon start negotiations concerning the future role of 77 Hungarian troops that have recently returned from the United Nations’ Cyprus mission

Blog

Remembering 1956: Soviet-type oppression then and now

Oct 24, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

The banality of Soviet-type oppression and that moment when it leads to change.

News in Brief

Hungary to double financial assistance for Hungarian minorities in Transcarpathia region

Oct 22, 2018

Árpád János Potápi revealed that the Hungarian government will increase its payments to UAH 300 million or US$10.7 million in 2019

News in Brief

Hungary’s foreign ministry summons Ukraine’s ambassador to Budapest

Oct 11, 2018

Levente Magyar said the summons was due to reports of a “death list” of Transcarpathian Hungarians in Ukraine as well as a call for the collective deportation of dual Ukrainian-Hungarian citizens on the Ukrainian Parliament’s website

News in Brief

Hungary's foreign minister builds relations with Romania

Sep 11, 2018

The foreign minister said he hoped Hungarian-Romanian cooperation may continue in the spirit of mutual respect

Blog

Ukraine and discrimination against Hungarians: When will we see real progress?

Jul 11, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

With the NATO summit taking place today and tomorrow in Brussels, it’s a good time to review what’s going on today in Ukraine and the very clear reasons why Hungary is saying no to Ukraine’s further NATO integration. This has been going on for several months now, but unfortunately – apart from minor changes in policy and tone – we haven’t seen any meaningful progress.

News in Brief

Hungary marks National Cohesion Day

Jun 05, 2018

On June 4th every year, Hungarians mark the day of the signing of the Trianon Treaty in 1920, which stripped Hungary of two thirds of its territory and turned 3.3 million Hungarians into ethnic minorities living in foreign countries

News in Brief

Hungary will initiate a new NATO policy on Ukraine for the protection of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia

May 23, 2018

The government's memorandum will be sent to the prime ministers of all NATO member states and the secretary-general of the military alliance

News in Brief

The EU is putting the rights of migrants ahead of the Hungarian minority living in western Ukraine, says foreign minister

May 10, 2018

The foreign minister said it appeared that migrants were more important to Brussels than Hungarians in Ukraine

News in Brief

Hungary's FM: Ukraine is preparing to deal a “third blow” to its national minorities by imposing sanctions on dual citizens

Apr 25, 2018

Hungary’s foreign minister has highlighted how Ukraine is dealing yet another blow to minorities by introducing a law that would impose restrictions on dual citizens

Blog

No apologies for standing up for the rights of Hungarians in Ukraine

Mar 31, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

Hungary, this critic claims, is “helping Russia’s geopolitical aims”. How? Because the Orbán Government – wait for it – is standing up for the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine.

News in Brief

Minority SafePack European Citizens’ initiative close to securing one million signatures

Mar 20, 2018

The Minority SafePack European Citizens’ initiative requires one million signatures from at least seven EU member states by April 3rd for the European Commission to put the scheme on its agenda

News in Brief

Attack in Ukraine: PM Orbán offers the government’s help to László Brenzovics of the KMKSZ

Mar 01, 2018

The arson attack was condemned by the government and several political parties, including Fidesz, LMP, MSZP, Párbeszéd and Jobbik, as well as by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Hennadiy Moskal, governor of Transcarpathia

News in Brief

Central office of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ) has been attacked for the second time in a month

Feb 28, 2018

The foreign minister said that Ukraine’s ambassador to Budapest will be summoned to the Ministry, and the Hungarian consul general in Ungvár as well as the Hungarian ambassador to Kiev will be recalled immediately

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán asks for your support for the “Minority SafePack” initiative

Feb 13, 2018

“I urge you to come together and stand up for the rights of Hungarians living beyond our borders, by signing the Minority SafePack initiative in which we can protect the rights of Hungarians beyond our borders,” the prime minister said

News in Brief

Hungary's foreign ministry reveals there has been a significant step toward normalizing Hungarian-Ukrainian relations

Feb 08, 2018

Levente Magyar says there is a strong possibility of restoring friendly cooperation between the two countries

News in Brief

Hungary's FM: Government demands legal guarantees from Ukraine over Education Act

Jan 25, 2018

Hungary’s foreign minister met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Paris to discuss the Ukraine Education Act

Blog

That day when the Romanian PM threatened to hang ethnic minorities

Jan 12, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

Responding to Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose’s claim that the Szekler people will hang next to their flag, if they dare to fly it, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that threatening an ethnic minority with execution is unacceptable

News in Brief

Hungary has allocated 1 billion HUF to support ethnic Hungarian families in the Carpathian Basin

Jan 10, 2018

The opening event of the scheme dubbed “Year of Ethnic Hungarian Families Abroad” will be held on February 2nd

News in Brief

Fidesz signs Minority SafePack to help protect ethnic minorities in Europe

Jan 03, 2018

The Minority SafePack initiative, launched by the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), aims to collect at least one million signatures in seven countries before April 3rd to ensure the EU focuses on minorities throughout the bloc

Blog

To historian in Le Monde: Excuse my French, but that’s baloney

Dec 15, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

The key to a peaceful Europe, as the founding fathers have realized, is that ethnic minorities of Europe are respected and their fundamental rights protected. Those who dismiss the rights of Europe’s ethnic minorities risk fueling a trend that has caused Europe some of its worst nightmares and terrible armed conflicts.

Blog Prime Minister

PM Orbán on the future: From ‘learning to be small’ to making Hungary great again

Nov 21, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

All Hungarian individuals and communities wherever they may live, said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently, are part of one nation, and in an age when “national interests come first, even in the European Union,” Hungary aims to unite what is a global nation and make it stronger as a whole.

News in Brief Prime Minister

PM Orbán says Hungary strives to be “a good steward” in serving as a homeland for all Hungarians around the world

Nov 09, 2017

The prime minister touched on Hungary's booming economy, the migrant crisis and Ukraine's education law during a speech at the Hungarian Diaspora Council annual assembly

Blog

Ethnic Hungarians: a nation in a united Europe

Nov 02, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

As a result of wars and the re-drawing of borders that have taken place in recent centuries, today’s borders in Europe rarely correspond to the physical location of the continent’s national groups. About one third of the 15 million-strong, ethnic Hungarian community, lives outside the borders of Hungary, mostly in the Carpathian Basin. These Hungarian communities, just as much as any other European national minorities, have the right to maintain their thousand year-old culture in the European Union.

Speeches and Remarks Prime Minister

Interview with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the Romanian daily Krónika

Oct 11, 2017

5 October 2017

Blog

What did minority children in Ukraine do to deserve this?

Sep 22, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

Many wonder the same these days – what did minority children in Ukraine do to deserve having their rights to study in their native tongue taken away?

News in Brief

Hungary's foreign policy is to "resolutely stand up for Hungarian interests and the interests of Hungarians living across the border"

Sep 20, 2017

Hungarian foreign policy will never abandon cross-border Hungarians, we will “fight until the bitter end” with regard to issues that are important to them, and will “not allow decisions that negatively affect Hungarians to be made one after the other in neighboring countries," the foreign minister said

News in Brief

Hungary's FM: Ukraine "stabbed Hungary in the back" over law that violates the rights of Hungarian minority

Sep 08, 2017

“It is unacceptable that Hungarians living in Ukraine have been stripped of their right to be taught in their native language in secondary school and university,” Hungary's foreign minister said

News in Brief

Hungary objects to new Ukrainian law that abolishes minority languages in schools

Sep 07, 2017

The new Ukrainian law will mean secondary school and higher education courses will only be available in Ukrainian, while education in minority languages is restricted to kindergartens and primary schools

Blog

The big deal about Hungary’s almost 1 million new citizens

May 27, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

Yes, 950,000 new Hungarian citizens in less than seven years. At first glance, Hungary’s numbers seem incredible for a country of about 10 million people, but it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds.

News in Brief

Hungarian diaspora programs to restore identity and language to Hungarians around the world

Feb 16, 2017

Up to 115 young Hungarian scholarship-holders will be sent to 24 countries on five continents for six to nine months under the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor program

News in Brief

Hungary to help advance the lives of Hungarians living abroad

Jan 02, 2017

The Hungarian government has never spent as much money on helping Hungarians abroad preserve their cultural and linguistic identity as it does now, Deputy PM Semjén said