Hungary wields considerable influence in Central and Eastern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs.Solomon S (1997) South African Foreign Policy and Middle Power Leadership , ISS The foreign policy of Hungary includes commitments to international development, international law, European integration, Atlantic co-operation and increased co-operation within the Global East. The Hungarian economy is fairly open and relies strongly on international trade.
Hungary has been a member of the United Nations since December 1955 and holds current membership with the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, the WTO, the World Bank, the AIIB and the IMF. Hungary took on the presidency of the Council of the European Union for half a year in 2011 and the next will be in 2024. In 2015, Hungary was the fifth largest OECD Non-DAC donor of development aid in the world, which represents 0.13% of its Gross National Income. In this regard, Hungary stands before Spain, Israel or Russia.
Hungary's capital city, Budapest is home to more than 100 embassies and foreign representative bodies. Hungary hosts the main and regional headquarters of many international organizations as well, including European Institute of Innovation and Technology, European Police College, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Centre for Democratic Transition, Institute of International Education, International Labour Organization, International Organization for Migration, International Red Cross, Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Danube Commission and even others.
From 1989, Hungary's top foreign policy goal was achieving integration into Western economic and security organizations. It joined the Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has actively supported the IFOR and SFOR missions in Bosnia. It also improved its often frosty neighborly relations by signing basic treaties with Ukraine, Slovakia, and Romania. These renounce all outstanding territorial claims and lay the foundation for constructive relations. However, the issue of ethnic Hungarian minority rights in Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine periodically causes bilateral tensions to flare up. Hungary since 1989 has signed all of the OSCE documents, and served as the OSCE's Chairman-in-Office in 1997. Hungary's record of implementing CSCE Helsinki Final Act provisions, including those on the reunification of divided families, remains among the best in Central and Eastern Europe.
Except for the short-lived neutrality declared by the anti-Soviet leader Imre Nagy in November 1956, Hungary's foreign policy generally followed the Soviet lead from 1947 to 1989. During the Communist period, Hungary maintained treaties of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance with the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria. It was one of the founding members of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact and Comecon, and it was the first country to withdraw from those organizations. After 1989, it began to orient more towards the West, joining NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. In 2010, Hungary initiated its Eastern Opening Policy, marking a commitment to enhancing its relations with other nations within the Global East.
Overview As with any country, Hungarian security attitudes are shaped largely by history and geography. For Hungary, this is a history of more than 400 years of domination by great powers—the Ottomans, the Habsburg dynasty, the Germans during World War II, and the Soviets during the Cold War—and a geography of regional instability and separation from Hungarian minorities living in neighboring countries. Hungary's foreign policy priorities, largely consistent since 1990, represent a direct response to these factors. From 1990, Hungary's top foreign policy goal was achieving integration into Western economic and security organizations. Hungary joined the Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has actively supported the IFOR and SFOR missions in Bosnia. The Horn government achieved Hungary's most important foreign policy successes of the post-communist era by securing invitations to join both NATO and the European Union in 1997. Hungary became a member of NATO in 1999, and a member of the EU in 2004.
Hungary also has improved its often frosty neighborly relations by signing basic treaties with Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. These renounce all outstanding territorial claims and lay the foundation for constructive relations. However, the issue of ethnic Hungarian minority rights in Slovakia and Romania periodically causes bilateral tensions to flare up. Hungary was a signatory to the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, has signed all of the CSCE/OSCE follow-on documents since 1989, and served as the OSCE's Chairman-in-Office in 1997. Hungary's record of implementing CSCE Helsinki Final Act provisions, including those on the reunification of divided families, remains among the best in eastern Europe. Hungary has been a member of the United Nations since December 1955.
The Gabčíkovo - Nagymaros Dams project This involves Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and was agreed on September 16, 1977 ("Budapest Treaty"). The treaty envisioned a cross-border barrage system between the towns Gabčíkovo, Czechoslovakia and Nagymaros, Hungary. After an intensive campaign, the project became widely hated as a symbol of the old communist regime. In 1989 the Hungarian government decided to suspend it. In its sentence from September 1997, the International Court of Justice stated that both sides breached their obligation and that the 1977 Budapest Treaty is still valid. In 1998 the Slovak government turned to the International Court, demanding the Nagymaros part to be built. The international dispute was partially solved in 2017.
On March 19, 2008, Hungary recognized Kosovo as an independent country.
Relations between Hungary and its Western partners have strained, because Orban's government has maintained relations with Russia despite sanctions against Russia after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Illicit drugs: Major trans-shipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and transit point for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamines and methamphetamines
Refugee protection: The Hungarian border barrier was built in 2015, and Hungary was criticized by other European countries for using tear gas and water cannons on refugees of the Syrian Civil War as they were trying to pass the country.Hungary border crackdown, The Guardian 16 September 2015Hungarian police spray tear gas water cannons at migrants, CBS News 16 September 2015
Since 2017, Hungary–Ukraine relations have rapidly deteriorated over the issue of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
The U.S. election on 5 November 2024 resulted in a landslide Republican victory. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán loudly and consistently proclaimed that he not only expected Trump to take back the presidency but heartfully wished him to do so. Thanks to Orbán's unwavering support towards Trump, the personal relationship between the two statesmen has become impeccable, especially during the Biden administration when U.S.-Hungarian relations hit rock bottom.
Hungary and Turkic States
A number of Hungarian anthropologists and linguists have long had an interest in the Turkic peoples, fueled by the eastern origin of the Hungarians' ancestors. The Hungarian ethnomusicologist Bence Szabolcsi explained this motivation as follows: "Hungarians are the outermost branch leaning this way from age-old tree of the great Asian musical culture rooted in the souls of a variety of peoples living from China through Central Asia to the Black Sea".ipos, János Kazakh Folksongs from the Two Ends of the Steppe
Since the political transformation in 1990, Hungary has prioritized its diplomatic engagements with the Turkic world. In 2018, Hungary became an observer within the Organisation of Turkic States, underscoring a deepened engagement in regional cooperation. Today, Türkiye and Azerbaijan constitute two of Hungary’s key strategic partners.
Diplomatic relations List of countries which Hungary maintains diplomatic relations with:
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Relations by region and country Multilateral Organization Formal Relations BeganNotes (See Hungary in the European Union) Hungary joined the European Union as a full member on 1 May 2004. (See Hungary in NATO) Hungary joined NATO as a full member on 12 March 1999.
Africa Country Formal Relations BeganNotes Cape Verde is accredited to Hungary from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium. Hungary is accredited to Cape Verde from its embassy in Lisbon, Portugal and maintains an honorary consulate in Praia. Ethiopia is accredited to Hungary from its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Hungary has an embassy in Addis Ababa.(See Ghana–Hungary relations)
Ghana is accredited to Hungary from its embassy in Prague, Czech Republic. Hungary has an embassy in Accra. Guinea-Bissau is accredited to Hungary from its embassy in Moscow, Russia. Hungary is accredited to Guinea-Bissau from its embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. Hungary is accredited to Mauritania from its embassy in Rabat, Morocco. Hungary has an embassy in Rabat. Morocco has an embassy in Budapest. Latifa Akharbach, Morocco's under-secretary of Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Hungary in 2007.Hungary is represented in Uganda by its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and an honorary consulate in Kampala. Hungary is realizing the largest foreign development program in its history in Uganda.
Americas Country Formal Relations BeganNotes(See Argentina–Hungary relations)
Argentina has an embassy in Budapest. Hungary has an embassy in Buenos Aires. Belize does not have an accreditation to Hungary. Hungary does not have an accreditation to Belize.1927(See Brazil–Hungary relations)
Brazil has an embassy in Budapest. Hungary has an embassy in Brasília and a consulate-general in São Paulo. 1964(See Canada–Hungary relations)
Canada has an embassy in Budapest. Hungary has an embassy in Ottawa and a consulate-general in Toronto.28 March 1973(See Colombia–Hungary relations)
Colombia has an embassy in Budapest. Hungary has an embassy in Bogotá. Hungary is accredited to Dominica from its embassy in Havana, Cuba.1925(See Hungary–Mexico relations) Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1864, during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Diplomatic relations were established between Hungary and Mexico in 1925 and were suspended in 1941. They were re-established on 14 May 1974. Hungary has an embassy in Mexico City. Mexico has an embassy in Budapest.1922(See Hungary–United States relations)
Normal bilateral relations between Hungary and the U.S. were resumed in December 1945 when a U.S. ambassador was appointed and the embassy was re-opened. Hungary has an embassy in Washington, D.C., and consulates-general in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. United States has an embassy in Budapest.(See Hungary–Uruguay relations)
Hungary is accredited to Uruguay from its embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has an embassy office in Montevideo. Uruguay is accredited to Hungary from its embassy in Vienna, Austria.
Asia Country Formal Relations BeganNotes2022-12-02(See Armenia–Hungary relations)