Although Hungary is known for its strict attitude towards refugees, but now many things are changing. Leaving aside its attitude on refugees, global leaders are now planning to meet in this country. US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin may meet in the capital Budapest in the coming weeks. How is this small, self-contained country able to provide a more secure environment than the big countries to which global leaders are reaching?
Putin and Trump had talks in America in August. After this, there was some chemistry between the two. Now after about two months both the leaders are going to meet again. Before this, both of them also talked on a phone call. At present the time of the meeting has not been made public but the meeting point has been decided. Both the leaders will meet in Budapest, the capital of the European country Hungary. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban agreed to host this summit.
In recent times, Hungary is gradually becoming a new center of peace negotiations and mediation. The main reason for this is that this country is considered quite neutral politically. Despite being part of the European Union, Hungary often adopted a balanced stance between Western and Eastern countries. For this reason it is considered a safe forum for disputing parties.
The geographical position also goes in favor of Hungary. It is almost in the center of Europe. Delegates coming from foreign countries can easily reach Hungary and it also becomes easier to gather logistics resources. This is an important condition for peace talks. Apart from the local language, English is also spoken and understood here and everything from food to climate is favorable for the representatives of cold countries.
Apart from this, the diplomatic experience of the country is also making it the center of such conversations. Hungary has previously hosted many international meetings and summits.
– European Union and NATO conferences have been held here many times.
– Hungary often provided a neutral platform for the leaders of disputed countries.
– Successful meetings of UN and international organizations have been held in Budapest.
– At the end of last year, all the countries of Europe had met here.
Whenever two stressed parties are meeting, there needs to be a ground that is safe for both, and their conversation should be kept confidential. Hungary usually chooses high-security locations like Budapest, where there is a strong military and police presence. Safe corridors are created for the movement of delegates. A non-disclosure agreement is made with all the representatives and the rest of the staff so that mutual conversations are not leaked. There is a lot of control over the media here, due to which information remains safe.
The special thing about this country is that despite being small, it remained clear about its points. Like it is a member of both EU and NATO. After the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, there was heavy pressure on it to stop trade with Russia. Most of the countries in Europe stopped but Hungary remained balanced and did not compromise on its trade policy.
One thing that is important about the upcoming meeting is that Hungary is relatively close to the Russian border. Last time Putin and Trump met in an American state. This time the place was chosen according to Putin. Trump also agreed because Hungary’s history assures the conflicting parties that it will remain neutral.
Before this, Switzerland had been the biggest center of peace talks. The headquarters of almost all international organizations is located here. The reason for this is that this country has officially declared itself neutral. It does not become a part of any war or military alliance, and this is what made it credible. But this place is not suitable for the leaders of Russia and America to meet.
In fact, Switzerland was traditionally considered more connected with the West. In such a situation, Russia will not be able to get the same confidence there that is visible in Hungary. Hungary may not be officially neutral, but in practice it is preferred because of its balanced relations with both East and West.
—- End —-
