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The Estonian Cultural Institute will end its activities in Hungary at the end of February, as its Tallinn parent institution has decided to close it due to “structural changes”, the institute told MTI on Tuesday. Although “structural changes” could have plaid a role, recent rhetoric between Hungary’s conservative, and Estonia’s liberal governments could not be disregarded as a plausible factor behind the decision.

The Estonian Cultural Institute in Hungary, which is engaged in the mediation of Estonian culture in Hungary and the deepening of cultural relations, was opened in Budapest in February 1998. Over the past 26 years, the Institute has organized many of its own cultural events and helped many of its partners to successfully organize Estonian-related programs.
In addition to organizing cultural events, it also disseminated information about Estonia and promoted the teaching of Estonian. The Estonian Institute was also a member of the network of European Cultural Institutes in Hungary.

A closure of a cultural center in a hosting country, however, could also be interpreted as a message from the Tallinn government.

The timing is somewhat conspicuous, as it comes after a series of rows following Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing in October last year. Estonia’s liberal prime minister Kaja Kallas has reacted to the meeting between the Hungarian and Russian leaders by saying “it was very, very unpleasant to see that. How can you shake a criminal’s hand, who has waged the war of aggression, especially coming from a country that has a history like Hungary has?”

Other representatives of Kallas’ own political party, Eesti Reformierakond, is a liberal political movement, part of the left-wing Renew Europe and ALDE factions, have not voiced similar concerns when French President Emmanuel Macron or German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have met the Russian leader after the invasion of Ukraine. The apparent inconsistency in her position was not lost on Péter Szijjártó, the Hungarian Foreign Minister either. He reacted by saying that “this Kaja Kallas is the same Kaja Kallas whose husband was recently found to have owned a company that supplied €30 million worth of raw materials to a Russian factory even after the outbreak of war, despite the fighting,” the FM said, calling the Estonian politician’s statement “hypocrisy.”

Earlier in 2022, Estonia’s Ambassador to Hungary, Raul Toomas was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade over remarks by Estonian politicians criticizing Hungary. Tamás Menczer briefed the ambassador about Hungary’s position concerning the war in Ukraine and stressed that “baseless and mendacious lies” of Hungary are unacceptable. The State Secretary for Information and International Promotion drew the ambassador’s attention to the fact that Hungary has been carrying out the largest ever humanitarian action in its history in connection with Ukraine.

Criticism coming from politicians of a country whose airspace is also protected by Hungarian soldiers and Hungarian aircraft is strange,”

Menczer noted.

In an interview published by Postimees in 2022, Estonian Foreign Minister, Urmas Reinsalu, said that his government finds Hungary’s approach towards the Russian aggression in Ukraine “extremely regrettable.” He said that decisions and remarks which “undermine European unity” in the area of sanctions, or visits – he most probably referred to Szijjártó’s visit to Moscow – are not serving the purpose of Europe’s security, are morally unacceptable, and not in the interest of any EU Member State.

Budapest Summons Estonian Ambassador after Foreign Minister's Statements
Budapest Summons Estonian Ambassador after Foreign Minister's Statements

State Secretary Tamás Menczer rejected “mendacious lies” about Hungary. Continue reading

Featured Image: Facebook Kaja Kallas


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