peter balazs

February 10, 2010, 09:51 CET

OSCE high commissioner pledges to monitor Slovak language law

Knut Vollebaek, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, confirmed in Budapest on Tuesday that he would continue to monitor the implementation of Slovakia's amended state language act. Vollebaek arrived in Budapest on Tuesday after talks in Bratislava on Monday. He... [read complete entry]

January 14, 2010, 10:28 CET

Eastern Partnership, V4 foreign ministers to meet in Budapest

Foreign ministers of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and Visegrad Four (V4) countries will meet in Budapest on March 2, the foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The EaP consists of the post-Soviet states Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.... [read complete entry]

January 13, 2010, 09:46 CET

Foreign minister briefs NGOs

Foreign Minister Peter Balazs on Tuesday met representatives of NGOs that work closely with the ministry. Balazs briefed around hundred participants about work carried out in relation to Hungarian foreign affairs last year and outlined objectives for 2010, the ministry's... [read complete entry]

January 11, 2010, 12:03 CET

FM says EC position supports Hungarian worries over Slovak language law

An evaluation by the legal service of the Secretariat General of the European Commission published on Thursday justifies a number of Hungary's concerns about the implementation guidelines of the contested Slovak state language act, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told... [read complete entry]

December 23, 2009, 09:50 CET

Hungarian FM singles out Slovakia, Ukraine as obstacles to regional harmony

Hungary's diplomatic corps has invested a lot of energy in further developing its ties with neighbouring countries during the past year, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told MTI on Wednesday. Balazs noted, however, that the nationalistic policies of two countries -... [read complete entry]

December 03, 2009, 12:29 CET

Slovak gov't observing agreement with Hungary, foreign minister says

No matter what extremists say in Slovakia, the Slovak-Hungarian declaration approved by the two prime ministers in Szecseny in September is valid and being observed by the Slovak government, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told MTI on Wednesday. The Hungarian-Slovak... [read complete entry]

November 27, 2009, 10:16 CET

Current, former finance ministers address conference on Hungary's global role

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Balazs and one of his predecessors Janos Martonyi spoke about the need to intensify European integration at a conference in Budapest on Thursday. After four and a half centuries, Hungary is now in a position to... [read complete entry]

November 20, 2009, 10:42 CET

Foreign Minister meets ethnic Hungarian leaders from region

Foreign Minister Peter Balazs met leaders of ethnic Hungarian communities in neighbouring countries for talks in Budapest on Thursday. Balazs gave them an outline of Hungary's foreign policy tasks and main objectives including policies towards communities of Hungarians living beyond... [read complete entry]

November 12, 2009, 09:15 CET

Budapest to host "Danube summit" in February 2010

Hungary will organise a summit on the Danube strategy in February 2010, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs announced after a Wednesday meeting of a working group making preparations for Hungary's EU presidency in 2011. The Danube strategy is a plan for... [read complete entry]

November 04, 2009, 09:48 CET

Hungary, Slovak FM discuss 11-point "action plan" for improving ties

The foreign ministers of Hungary and Slovakia agreed at a meeting on Tuesday that a joint action plan for amending ties between their countries had been successfully implemented. Miroslav Lajcak of Slovakia and Peter Balazs of Hungary met in Banska... [read complete entry]

October 27, 2009, 10:56 CET

FM says Lisbon Treaty should not be re-opened

A solution needs to be found for the introduction of the Lisbon Treaty that does not require the amendment of the treaty and the re-opening of the ratification process, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said on Monday. Balazs told a... [read complete entry]

October 14, 2009, 09:50 CET

Hungary launches proceedings against Slovakia

Hungary is launching proceedings against Slovakia at the European Commission over that country's refusal to allow President László Sólyom into the country on August 21, government spokesman Domokos Szollár told reporters on Tuesday. He said Hungary aims to resolve the... [read complete entry]

October 07, 2009, 09:38 CET

Western Balkan EU hopefuls top item at Budapest V4 summit

Despite the efforts of the V4 nations to speed up the EU accession process for countries of the Western Balkans, the overriding message at a meeting of the V4-plus Spain and Belgium - members of the future EU trio presidency... [read complete entry]

October 01, 2009, 10:10 CET

PM reportedly ready to nominate Socialist for EU commissioner

Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and ruling Socialist Party leaders will discuss on Friday whom to nominate as European commissioner, Nepszabadsag daily said on Thursday. The three Socialist politicians running for the post are MEP Edit Herczog, incumbent commissioner Laszlo Kovacs... [read complete entry]

September 29, 2009, 10:34 CET

Foreign Minister stresses protection of minority rights in UN speech

The promotion and protection of human rights, including the rights of national minorities, has been traditionally high on the agenda of the successive Hungarian governments, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said at the 64th session of the UN General Assembly in... [read complete entry]

September 28, 2009, 09:52 CET

FM says US reassured over ties between Hungary and Russia

The United States has harboured suspicions about the nature of close business relations between Hungary and Russia but now stands reassured, the foreign minister said in an interview to Monday's Nepszava daily during his visit to New York to attend... [read complete entry]

September 23, 2009, 08:52 CET

Foreign Minister makes rounds in New York in advance of UN assembly

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs outlined his government's crisis-managing measures, the positive signs emerging in the economy and plans to set up in a Budapest centre for preventing genocides in a series of meetings in New York on Tuesday, foreign... [read complete entry]

September 17, 2009, 11:35 CET

Foreign Minister says Slovakia Hungary's only problematic neighbor

Hungarian diplomacy had a hot summer this year because of Slovakia, Hungary's only problematic neighbour, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told a news conference in Budapest on Wednesday. The minister referred to the enactment of a controversial amendment to Slovakia's... [read complete entry]

September 09, 2009, 09:40 CET

EU justice commissioner sides with Hungary over Slovak language law

The EU's justice commissioner is sympathetic to Hungary's view of the Slovak language law and shares Hungary's opinion of it in a number of respects, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told Hungarian journalists after talks with Jacques Barrot. "I asked him,... [read complete entry]

September 08, 2009, 10:05 CET

Bajnai open letter receives lukewarm response from Slovak PM

Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai writes that he extends his “hand to the nation of Slovakia for a friendly handshake in the spirit of our joint future and the intention to implement our mutual interests in partnership”, in an article published... [read complete entry]

September 07, 2009, 10:43 CET

Slovakia ready for three-way language law talks

Slovakia has indicated its readiness to participate in talks on the enforcement country's language law at expert level with the participation of a representative from the United Nations, a Hungarian government official told Monday's Nepszabadsag daily. The development, reported to... [read complete entry]

September 03, 2009, 09:48 CET

Slovak Foreign Minister hints at fraught meeting

The meeting between Slovak prime minister Robert Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Gordon Bajnai "will not be simple, because both parties want to say many things to the other,” Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcák said in a statement after a... [read complete entry]

August 04, 2009, 10:52 CET

Foreign Minister says granting Hungarian citizenship for ethnic kin no panacea

Granting Hungarian citizenship to ethnic kin living in neighbouring countries would not altogether resolve their typical problems, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said on the Hungarian television programme Nap-kelte on Monday. The main opposition Fidesz party would like to see the... [read complete entry]

July 29, 2009, 09:41 CET

Foreign minister says Hungary aims to "guide" Slovakia back to correct path

It is the Hungarian government's aim to guide Slovakia back to the correct path, to sober and normal solutions regarding the state language law, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said on Tuesday. Balazs said the Slovak language law is planned... [read complete entry]

July 14, 2009, 10:09 CET

Hungary solidifies plans for upcoming EU presidency

A year from now, Hungary must already stand prepared to take over the European Union's presidency in the first half of 2011, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said at a forum on Monday. The Economic and Social council of the Hungarian... [read complete entry]

July 03, 2009, 09:41 CET

Hungarian Ambassador to America says Obama meeting not imminent

It may take weeks or months for the Obama administration to make a decision concerning a possible meeting between the US President and Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai in Washington, as suggested by the Hungarian side, Ferenc Somogyi, Hungary's ambassador... [read complete entry]

July 01, 2009, 10:45 CET

FM rejects opposition's criticism over recall of ambassadors

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Balazs on Tuesday rejected the opposition suggestions that changes in ambassador posts were "acts of provocation" on the government's part. Main opposition Fidesz party voiced particular concern over the replacement of Ferenc Somogyi as Ambassador to... [read complete entry]

June 24, 2009, 11:02 CET

FM calls Slovak parliament statement on Hungary unacceptable

Several passages of the Slovak parliament's statement, recently adopted, on Hungarian-Slovak relations are unacceptable, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told MTI on Wednesday. Balazs added that it was especially odd that the Slovak Foreign Minister had chosen to send the... [read complete entry]

June 17, 2009, 09:55 CET

Hungary to close, merge embassies and consulates

Hungary will streamline its network of diplomatic missions and end up with 102 representations in 80 states as a result, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. Mr Balazs said that Hungary would close its embassies in... [read complete entry]

June 04, 2009, 01:00 CET

Foreign Minister rues rift with Slovakia; Fidesz weighs in

The ongoing dispute between Hungary's opposition Fidesz party and the Slovak Parliament is part and parcel of the European parliamentary election campaign, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told MTI on Wednesday. "We regard the fraught dispute between Fidesz and the... [read complete entry]

June 04, 2009, 09:19 CET

Experts says public image of Bajnai cabinet improving

A basically positive image of the Bajnai cabinet has developed in the past 50 days, with the most successful portfolios being the foreign and finance ministries, political scientists Zoltán Kiszelly of the Academy of Sciences and Attila Juhász of Political... [read complete entry]

June 03, 2009, 08:32 CET

German FM says concerned over Orbán comment on EP

Germany is concerned about Fidesz leader Viktor Orban's recent statement that the EP elections would determine how many deputies can represent the Hungarians of the Carpathian Basin in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Budapest after talks with... [read complete entry]

May 28, 2009, 10:11 CET

FM says smaller diplomatic corps to save Hungary €7 million per year

Reducing Hungary's 118 diplomatic missions by about 20 would save the country an annual two billion forints (EUR 7 m), Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told reporters on Wednesday. "We want to build a sustainable and efficient network, the size of... [read complete entry]

May 27, 2009, 09:35 CET

Hungary to prepare budget for 2011 EU presidency by July

Hungary will prepare the budget for its 2011 EU presidency by July, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs said in Budapest on Tuesday. The government calculates with a grand total of HUF 30-40bn (EUR 105-141m) in expenses, Balazs said after the meeting... [read complete entry]

May 19, 2009, 12:44 CET

Memo to Péter Balázs: Denial ain't just a river in Egypt

It's stating the obvious to say that an important part of a diplomat's job is to come up with positive things to say about the country they represent, no matter how dire the situation actually is. But recently-installed Foreign Minister... [read complete entry]

May 13, 2009, 08:47 CET

Hungarian foreign minister sees chance reconciliation with Slovakia

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told MTI on Tuesday that he sees a historic chance for reconciliation between Hungary and Slovakia. The minister is scheduled to meet his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajcak in Bratislava on Wednesday. Balazs noted that over... [read complete entry]

May 06, 2009, 09:35 CET

Foreign Minister says EC upbeat on Hungarian prospects, EU presidency

The European Commission has made a very positive approach to Hungary's crisis management programme, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told Parliament's European affairs committee on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]

April 24, 2009, 09:39 CET

FM seeks info from US on Hungarian shot in Iraq

The US embassy in Budapest has given the foreign ministry a written answer about the Hungarian who was shot dead in Iraq late last month, deputy spokesman Lajos Kohári told Echo TV Thursday evening. Earlier in the day Foreign Minister... [read complete entry]

April 23, 2009, 11:16 CET

Hungarian FM casts more doubt on alleged plot on Bolivian president

The alleged assassination plot on the Bolivian president was probably a "concocted story", Foreign Minister Péter Balázs told InfoRádió Wednesday evening. He said there are signs that the late Eduardo Rózsa-Flores and associates "had been preparing something, even an armed... [read complete entry]

April 22, 2009, 09:27 CET

New FM seeks meetings with Slovak, American counterparts

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Péter Balázs yesterday requested an audience with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a letter sent to US deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs Dan Fried, who agreed to set up... [read complete entry]

April 22, 2009, 08:39 CET

Balázs condemns Iranian president's remarks on Israel

The Iranian president's remarks attacking Israel made at a United Nations anti-racism conference in Geneva were "unacceptable", Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told journalists on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]

April 21, 2009, 09:18 CET

Hungarian government reacts to Bolivia killings

Foreign Minister Péter Balázs has ordered the ambassador in Buenos Aires to travel to Bolivia to assess the situation after the death of the Hungarian-Bolivian guerrilla leader Eduardo Rózsa-Flores at the hands of an army unit.... [read complete entry]

April 15, 2009, 09:52 CET

Bajnai cabinet to feature six new members

Hungary's cabinet will feature six new members, PM designate Gordon Bajnai told Parliament on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]

April 14, 2009, 09:46 CET

Bajnai cabinet expected to retain some Gyurcsány holdovers

Some ministers of outgoing Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's cabinet are expected to keep their post in Gordon Bajnai's new government, which will feature some new members as well, the online edition of national daily Nepszabadsag said on Monday.... [read complete entry]