The joint meeting of NATO foreign and defence ministers was held in Brussels on 18-19 April, 2012. Hungary was represented at the meetings by Minister for Foreign Affairs János Martonyi and Minister of Defence Csaba Hende.
Deputy State Secretary Gergely Prőhle arrived in Washington on April 15, 2012. The purpose of his visit is to continue bilateral talks with his American counterparts in the State Department.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary expresses its deep concern about the attempted rocket launch by North Korea on 13 April, which is a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1874.
On 11 April, Deputy State Secretary János Hóvári participated in the opening ceremony of the Szeged Model United Nations (SZEMUN) Conference, where he delivered a lecture.
On 10 April 2012, Foreign Minister János Martonyi consulted with Massoud Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, who visited Hungary within the framework of his tour involving Bulgaria and the United States.
Following the agreements with Canada and Australia, Hungary’s Embassy in Damascus also ensures the diplomatic and consular representation of the United Kingdom in Syria on the basis of a bilateral agreement.
“The countries of Latin America can no longer be ignored when it comes to handling the global challenges affecting the whole of humanity; therefore, we must have stronger cooperation with them,” claimed Foreign Minister János Martonyi in the plenary session, the closing programme of the two-day-long Hungarian-Latin American Forum (MLAF). The main organiser of the series of events was the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, but the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA), the National Innovation Office (NIH), and the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (MKI) also provided venues for the programmes.
On 2-3 April, Foreign Minister János Martonyi paid an official visit to Skopje, where he conducted discussions with his partner, Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, with President Gjorge Ivanov, and with Teuta Arifi, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU Integration.
Hungary highly values and cherishes the memory of Raoul Wallenberg, the martyr Swedish diplomat. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, the Government of Hungary decided to declare the year 2012 as Wallenberg Year and to set up a Commemorative Committee. This anniversary is a good occasion to draw lessons from the past, and to review, in their light, current human rights and minority issues, and to address the future and the young generations.
Hungary and Canada are the depository states of the Treaty on Open Skies; the 20th anniversary of its signing and the 10th anniversary of its entering into force are celebrated this spring. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence emphasise the significance of the successful operation and the unimpeded implementation of the treaty on this occasion as well. Joint Statement of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.
Commemorations were held in Japan and worldwide to remember the victims of the powerful earthquake and the ensuing devastating tsunami striking Japan on 11 March 2011.
On 20 March 2012 Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi paid an official visit to Bucharest. He participated in discussions with Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu and was received on a courtesy visit by Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu and Head of the Senate Vasile Blaga. János Martonyi attended a meeting with Hunor Kelemen, President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) as well.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary expresses its deep concern over the announcement by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) of March 16 on its plans to launch a satellite into orbit between April 12 and 15, 2012.
Following the agreement with Canada, Hungary also ensures the limited consular representation of Australia in Syria. This is provided for by the bilateral agreement of 6 March 2012, under which Hungary’s Embassy in Damascus safeguards the interests of Australian citizens in the Middle Eastern country as far as possible.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi informed the heads of the African embassies in Hungary about the main pillars of the new Hungarian Foreign Policy Strategy, highlighting the policy of global opening and its African aspects.
In their meeting on 1 March 2012, the heads of state and government of the European Union officially granted candidate status to Serbia. Thereby the Western Balkan country opened a new chapter in its institutional relations with the EU and its accession process.
From 5 March 2012, on the basis of a bilateral agreement Hungary’s Embassy in Damascus represents Canada as well. This is not unprecedented, as Hungary entered into a similar cooperation in Tripoli in 2011 during the revolution in Lybia. The Hungarian diplomacy performed the task it undertook excellently.
On 5 March 2012, in the framework of the Czech Presidency of the Visegrád Cooperation János Martonyi participated in the extended V4 Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Prague. Besides the Foreign Ministers of the Visegrád countries, the Baltic states, and the Eastern Partners; the Foreign Minister of Denmark holding the current Presidency of the Council of the European Union, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, and Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle were also invited to the event, which centred around the Eastern Partnership.
On 15 February 2012 the Hungarian Government decided to organise the International Conference on Cyberspace in Budapest on 4-5 October 2012.
On 29 February the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced a moratorium on test launching of long-range missiles, nuclear test and on uranium-enrichment. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea also agreed on the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors to verify the moratorium on uranium-enrichment.
Minister of Foreign Affairs János Martonyi received a Congressional Delegation from the United States led by Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana February 24, 2012. U.S. Congressmen regularly visit their European allies: the current delegation visited Paris, Brussels, and Bratislava before coming to Budapest.
On 21 February 2012 János Martonyi paid an official visit to the Czech Republic. The Hungarian Foreign Minister participated in discussions with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and was received by President Václav Klaus and Miroslava Nemcová, Chairperson of the Lower House of the Parliament.
On 20 February Foreign Minister János Martonyi consulted with the delegation of the Venice Commission. In their conversation the parties discussed the legislative intent and background behind the cardinal laws regulating churches and courts, and exchanged views on the legal and professional concerns as well as on the critical comments concerning these laws.
At the meeting of its Assembly on 31 January 2012, the African Union elected Boni Yayi, President of the Republic of Benin as its new Chairperson.
On 7 February 2012 János Martonyi negotiated with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Berlin about current issues of the European Union, the Middle East, and Hungarian-German bilateral relations. On the invitation of his German counterpart, the Hungarian Foreign minister arrived in Germany for a two-day visit to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Hungary on Friendly Cooperation and Partnership in Europe.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the position of the MPs of the Jobbik political party on the Holocaust, on the internal political situation in Israel, and on the political relations of the Middle East.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi has left on a two-day official visit to Germany on Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hungarian-German friendship treaty.
On Wednesday, H.E. Aly El-Hefny, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, hosted a festive commemoration on the occasion of the first anniversary of the outbreak on 25 January 2011 of the Egyptian revolution, with the participation of the diplomatic corps as well as personalities of Hungarian political and public life and the Egyptian community in Hungary.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi participated in and held a lecture on the symposium on “Otto von Habsburg as a Christian politician”, which was organised in the Austrian Historical Institute in Rome on 24 January 2012. Among others, Rocco Buttiglione, Vice President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Wolfgang Schüssel, former Chancellor of Austria gave speeches, and several members of the Habsburg family were present as well.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi has sent a response letter to Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe on January 20, confirming that Hungary is willing to cooperate with the Council of Europe. Reacting to the Secretary General’s inquiry, the Head of the Foreign Ministry attached to his letter the texts of the laws on judiciary, religious freedom, and elections to the Parliament.