Unique Central Europe without dependence on the USA or Brussels

Source: Mladá fronta Dnes (CZ) - The reaction to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's trip to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing is based on different perceptions of Central Europe. Orbán symbolically expressed that whoever wants peace in a frozen war, where no one is winning on the front, must deal with both sides of the conflict. The journey was praised by the recovered Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Cyril and Methodius festivities in Děvín. He was greeted by a long standing ovation, which proves his extraordinary position in Slovakia. Criticism of Orbán came from Brussels, Warsaw and Prague.

The reaction of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who declared that Orbán did not represent NATO, which everyone knows because he is not a NATO official, is laughable. Stoltenberg's words would not be strange if he acted like this towards all countries. Turkish President Erdogan met Russian President Putin repeatedly, and the US Secretary of State also held talks with his Russian counterpart. Stoltenberg did not allow himself to say similar words to them. It is based on the fact that the Americans can do everything, they do not dare to say anything to Turkey, but they can criticize the states of Central Europe for doing foreign policy in their own interest.

Viktor Orbán is a politician who promotes Hungarian interests: preserving peace in Central Europe, protecting the minority rights of Hungarians in Subcarpathian Rus and securing cheap energy from Russia. He is one of the politicians who perceive that the expansion of NATO to the east was not worth the war and hundreds of thousands of dead, and he sees no reason why Central Europe should be bothered by Ukraine's neutrality. In contrast, the understanding of Central Europe as vassals who cannot promote their interests independently, but only if they are allowed to do so from above, is prevalent in the European Commission and in the Prague government.

The reaction of Poland, which has aspirations of being a Central European regional power, is interesting,and bets on a close alliance with the US. As part of this alliance, he is not afraid to stand up to Brussels, but on the other hand, he has the appetite for power to oppose other idiosyncratic policies of the Central European states if it does not suit him. Poland is the most powerful Central European state, but the unique Central Europe flourished when no one ruled it powerfully, which also applies to Poland.

Orbán's critics perceive Central Europe as a territory that will be controlled by power either by the USA or Brussels on the one hand, or by Russia on the other. However, the unique position of Central Europe as cooperating states that may have different interests and relations with the powers is also possible.

Zdeněk Koudelka
lawyer, Masaryk University