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CORONAVIRUS: Here's the latest

A regularly updated feed of the latest information about coronavirus in Hungary.

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CORONAVIRUS: 3,931 infected. In compulsory home quarantine: 11,172. Recovered: 2,190. Deceased: 534.

If you have a question call + 36-80-277-455 and + 36-80-277-456 or email koronavirus@bm.gov.hu.

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Operational Group: The epidemic curve has been trending downward for 10 days

“We are constantly analyzing foreign and domestic data and striving to compare Hungarian data with other countries in the world to prepare for the next wave,” Cecília Müller reported today at the Operational Group presser.

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Liberal media reports vs. reality, Part 2: Sanctions against scaremongering and the spreading of fake news

Over the last several weeks of international reporting on Hungary, it’s been a little difficult to find examples of balanced coverage or some semblance of objectivity.

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Minority Rights

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News in Brief

FM: Hungary resolutely supports UN efforts to protect minorities

Dec 18, 2019

The foreign minister said Hungary actively protects the rights of its ethnic kin beyond the borders.

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Venice Commission decides Ukraine infringes law on minority rights

Dec 09, 2019

The Venice Commission called on Ukraine to scrap passages of its law concerning the use of ethnic minority languages that discriminate between Ukrainian and minority languages.

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Hungary will fight violations of minority rights and persecution of Christians, says official

Nov 15, 2019

Bence Rétvári called on UNESCO and its member states to make greater efforts to protect the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia in the areas of education and culture.

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FM meets with Romanian counterpart to discuss minority rights

Jul 10, 2019

“Hungary is striving to improve bilateral relations and steer it back towards an atmosphere of mutual respect and positive dynamics,” the Foreign Ministry said.

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Hungarian and Ukrainian presidents discuss minority issues

May 21, 2019

President Áder suggested that the two countries should set up a bilateral commission to sort out all contentious issues in a “relaxed atmosphere”

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Officials slam Romanian court for “unacceptable” rejection of ethnic Hungarians appeal

Apr 11, 2019

Fidesz MP István Bajkai and Zoltán Lomnici, head of the Human Dignity Council civil group, said the Romanian supreme court’s rejection of the appeals of two ethnic Hungarians sentenced to prison for an attempted bomb attack in 2015 is “unacceptable”

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MP says Ukraine should suspend the debate on its minorities language bill

Apr 10, 2019

MP Zsolt Németh said Ukraine’s language bill gave cause for concern and it would restrict the use of minority languages to private life

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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

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FM: A new world order is taking shape, bringing with it new security risks

Sep 25, 2018

The foreign minister said the migration problem persisted because “Europe is still incapable of speaking straightforwardly about it or making it clear that only legal entry to Europe is allowed"

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Hungary sees western Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region as a bridge to the EU

Aug 02, 2018

“We’d like it if the chasm being widened by Ukrainian politics between Uzhhorod (Ungvár) and Kiev disappeared because our goal has never been to pursue any kind of separatist aspirations, as has been unjustly alleged but rather to help Ukraine’s westernmost county serve as a link and a bridge to the European Union,” István Grezsa said

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The last obstacle has been removed from the EU’s Minority SafePack, says government official

Aug 01, 2018

“This is a great success concerning the rights of the continent’s indigenous minorities,” Potápi said

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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.

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Foreign minister calls on Council of Europe to take protecting European minorities seriously

Jun 19, 2018

The minister said it was wrong for a European institution to concern itself with Hungary’s “Stop Soros” law aimed at ensuring the security of the Hungarian people rather than with the Hungarians of western Ukraine “whose rights are being seriously breached”

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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.

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Hungary's FM: Ukraine has also failed to fulfil its NATO commitments

Dec 07, 2017

Hungary's foreign minister has said that Ukraine has failed to fulfil its NATO commitments by seriously violating minority rights and adopting the new Education Act

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Hungary builds relations with Andorra

Nov 15, 2017

Hungary's foreign minister has said that Andorra will be an important ally over the Ukrainian Education Act and EU tax harmonization aspirations

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Allowing minorities to use their mother tongue creates diversity throughout Europe

Nov 14, 2017

István Mikola, minister of state for International Cooperation and Security Policy at the foreign ministry, said that there are a number of minorities living in Europe that have the right to use their mother tongue not only in their private life but in conducting official affairs

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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.

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Ukraine's education law "fails to strike a balance" between their official language and those of minorities, says PACE

Oct 13, 2017

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said that Ukraine's new education law is not conducive to “living together” and expressed its concerns over the articles relating to education in minority languages in the recently passed act

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Hungary's foreign minister personally travels to Ukraine to discuss the country's new education law

Oct 10, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that he regards the amendment of Ukraine’s Education Act as “outrageous and unacceptable”

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Hungary and Romania join forces to fight Ukraine's new education law

Oct 03, 2017

There are more than half a million Hungarians and Romanians living in Ukraine. Hungary's FM noted that this explains why Hungary and Romania are acting together on the matter

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Hungary continues its fight over Ukraine's controversial education law

Sep 29, 2017

Hungary’s foreign minister has said that the government will fight to get Ukraine’s new education law repealed and its language and citizenship bills withdrawn

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Want to belong to Europe? Act like it!

Sep 29, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

In the European Union, we don’t take away the rights of children of historic minorities. Ukraine, by doing so, is taking a detour from its path into the EU and turning its back on European neighbors who stood by them in some of the most difficult times. Ukraine has brought this upon itself, and the consequences of this decision on the education law will be painful.

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Foreign ministers from Hungary, Romania, Greece and Bulgaria join forces to fight Ukraine's new education law

Sep 15, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, stands firmly behind calls to scrap Ukraine's new education law which is the latest international protestation to the law

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Hungary says EU must take action over Ukraine's new education law affecting minorities

Sep 12, 2017

Katalin Szili, the prime minister’s Special Appointee, said that the EU must intervene and contact the Ukrainian leadership regarding the matter

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Hungary announces that it won't back Croatia's and Romania's bid for OECD membership

Sep 11, 2017

During the Council of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meeting in Paris on Friday, Hungary indicated that it will not support the membership applications of either Croatia or Romania

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My response to Amnesty International: No, Hungary is not 'hell' for Roma

Jan 31, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

As a strident critic of this government’s firm stance against illegal immigration, Amnesty International is not interested in a balanced discussion. Their analysis begins with their conclusions then endeavors to find supporting facts.

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