On October 31, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijarto, will go to Belarus to take part in a conference dedicated to "Eurasian security". This is reported by Politico . The event, organized under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), is presented as a potential "alternative" to the traditional Munich Security Conference.
It is expected that the conference will be attended by representatives of states that actively support Russia, in particular the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Serhii Lavrov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria Bassam Sabbagh. According to Politico , Szijarto's frequent contacts with Russian and Belarusian officials are no longer news, but his participation in the event together with representatives of Syria may indicate further rapprochement of the positions of Hungary and countries that support the Russian Federation.
The presence of Hungary at such a conference calls into question its position as a member of the EU and NATO, because the Eurasian security summit is positioned as an alternative project to Western venues. It could also cause concern among Hungary's allies, given that in recent years Budapest has tried to maintain stable relations with Moscow and even cooperated on energy, often drawing criticism from Western countries.
Such steps may signal Hungary's desire to strengthen contacts with countries that reject the Western order. Sijarto has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the policy of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation, and his new visit may be another step towards establishing an alternative dialogue with states outside the European Union.
