National politics in Hungary is implemented in as many ways as there are countries in which Hungarians live. From the perspective of thirty years, it can be seen that different paths and results can be experienced in different countries - stated Miklós Duray, a Hungarian politician from the highlands and consultant of the National Strategic Research Institute.

– How do you see the success of Hungarian national politics in recent decades?

- In order to answer this, we inevitably have to examine the situation of the Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin with the change of system and since then. What have political organizations across the border and Hungarian national political aspirations achieved? It must be made aware that Hungarians, who were divided along the lines of views in the communist system, remained divided even after the fall of the system, only along different principles.

Not in his attitude to power, but along the lines of party interests, which meant multiple cuts.

This was most evident in Czechoslovakia at the time, where only one independent Hungarian party was established, taking on the affairs of the other minority communities – Együttelés . The other two, the Independent Hungarian Initiative , followed the communist past because they were close to the new power. SZDSZ and FIDESZ were the committed supporters of this from Hungary - for a while. Neither the MDF nor the KDNP dared to stand up for Együttélés, at least not until the fall of 1992.

What the Hungarians should understand is that it does not matter at all which country the Hungarians across the border live in.

Because the interests, political possibilities and interests of the Hungarian government of the time with the neighboring states also fundamentally influence the implementation of national policy.

- National policy cannot be carried out unilaterally, it also requires receptiveness.

– This is natural, but it mainly requires national agreement, which cannot do without party political agreement. If some Hungarian parties do not take part in the forums of their foreign partner parties in consultation with the political organizations of the separated Hungarian communities, it can create a perfect national political chaos. But this also applies to the European Union forums.

Anyone who does not negotiate in national politics is a traitor - without criminal consequences.

There can be no doubt that since 2010, a country where a Hungarian community lives has become more and more decisive for Hungary, for example in a federal system, because its existence can also influence the outcome of Hungarian national politics. This is why the Hungarian government has a completely different attitude towards the Hungarians living in Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, or Ukraine.

– In the case of Slovakia, what does this attitude look like?

- The situation is the most complicated there, because Slovakia is not only a member of the EU, but also part of the V4 relationship system. So the changes between the countries do not only result from the fact that the Hungarians living in different states would require different things, but also from the fact that the current Hungarian government has different interests in the neighboring countries.

The full article of Vasarnap.hu can be read here.

Author and image: Gábor Tóth