Speech by Head of State Dr. Tamás Sulyok to heads of mission serving in Hungary

Your Excellency, Mr. Dean,
Your Excellencies, 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to wish you all and your dear families a happy, peaceful and healthy New Year.

At the forefront of my New Year's thoughts, I would like to express my gratitude to all the ambassadors and their colleagues serving in foreign missions who, through their dedicated work over the past year, have helped me to carry out my duties and contributed to the successful implementation of my official programmes and trips abroad.

In Hungary, we hold the work of ambassadors in high esteem. Their profession is an important safeguard of our human civilisation, which in the current times comes with even greater responsibility than before.

A war causing cruel and incomprehensible human suffering has been raging in our neighbourhood for almost four years. International relations around the world are burdened by crisis situations awaiting resolution and various types of profound conflicts. We are witnessing a global realignment, while at the same time finding that multilateral institutions are becoming increasingly difficult to operate. In this environment, the role of bilateral relations is not only appreciating in value, but is also taking on decisive significance.

Accordingly, your work is becoming even more important, and bilateral diplomacy is becoming one of the most important pillars of international cooperation.

Hungary is prepared; we have never had such an extensive diplomatic network around the world as we do today. We continue to work tirelessly to strengthen our relations and develop further partnerships. Our country's historical experience – and, in my personal opinion, the right approach – is one of openness and dialogue.
We build our relationships on mutual respect, well-founded and accurate information, and predictable and stable mechanisms for cooperation.

I believe that there is no alternative to listening to each other. History has proven that mutual respect between countries – duly expressed by their leaders - is the only way forward. One of the most valuable results of maintaining effective dialogue is keeping conflicts within manageable limits.

Ladies and gentlemen!

"The brain is the organ of survival," – this was succinctly stated Albert Szent-Györgyi, Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian physician and pride of my city, Szeged. Preserving the peace and culture of our civilisation, including our European homeland, now requires even more wisdom, understanding, level-headedness and empathy. These are all characteristics of a good diplomat. A diplomat is a master and responsible actor in risk management, escalation prevention and communication channel operation.

Hungary's goal is to remain a sovereign, free country in a free Europe. 
We remain committed to our constitutional values, our national identity and traditions, and our Christian culture, which defines our place in the world and has shaped our country since the 9th century.

I also consider it a well-founded proposition that only those who value their own human dignity and the values of their community are capable of respecting the dignity of others. With our own culture, which is organically linked to Europe, we strive to enrich the life of both the continent and the world.

It is our firm conviction that the foundation of human existence is human dignity, and this cannot be made the subject of compromise. We are acutely aware that the conditions of war inevitably bring about the most serious violations of that dignity. For this reason, beyond the evident economic and political considerations, we remain convinced that sustained and sincere efforts for peace constitute the only truly responsible path forward. Human civilisation, stability, and genuine prosperity can flourish only on the firm ground of peace.

Hungary — including my office, the Presidential Palace — will continue, in keeping with its established tradition, to strive for predictability, consistency, and fair partnership with every nation of the world. As a committed advocate of international cooperation, our door remains open to all.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Over the past year, I have paid official and working visits to fourteen countries, not only in Europe but also across several regions of Asia and Africa. These engagements have reinforced my conviction that, in today’s rapidly evolving international environment, the role of direct dialogue and personal consultation is more important than ever.

At both the Second United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Qatar and the African Union-European Union Summit in Angola, I expressed Hungary's desire to participate actively and responsibly in global dialogue. We wish to contribute, to the best of our ability and within our means, to strengthening international cooperation and preventing conflicts, as well as to promoting sustainability and addressing climate change and demographic challenges.

I attach particular importance to regional cooperation. Under the Hungarian Presidency of the Visegrad Cooperation, organised around the motto "Competitive Visegrad", a Summit of Presidents was held in December 2025, at which I was pleased to see that cooperation between the Visegrad countries is noticeably strengthening and becoming more coordinated in an increasing number of areas. In the same spirit, we are also active participants in the Three Seas Initiative, which was launched ten years ago and brings together our region. I am convinced that in the global world of the 21st century, our interdependence is particularly tangible in our region.

Last year, I participated in a number of deeply moving events, including the commemoration marking the eightieth anniversary of the Holocaust at Auschwitz-Birkenau.  The events of the Church and the Holy See — including the Funeral Mass and Burial Ceremony of Pope Francis, followed by the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV — remind us that foreign policy is not merely a matter of interests and strategies, but also possesses a spiritual dimension. They serve as a reminder that our national and human identity cannot endure without spiritual and intellectual foundations.

As President, I regard it as both a personal and a constitutional duty to ensure that national unity is not merely a reference point, but a lived reality. This conviction has guided me as, over the past year, I have on several occasions visited Hungarian communities beyond our borders. I consider it equally important that, in the spirit of mutual respect, we and our neighbours extend similar gestures towards one another’s national communities.

As a result of the storms of 20th-century history, nearly two million Hungarians still live in their homeland in neighbouring countries. This is why occasions when we can jointly reaffirm this shared destiny are particularly significant. In Slovenia and Croatia, together with the Heads of State there, we had the opportunity to visit and address each other's national communities – Hungarians, Croats and Slovenes – while in Slovakia I was able to engage in a frank, forward-looking dialogue with state and public leaders.

Under Hungary’s Fundamental Law, the national communities living among us are part of the Hungarian political community and are state-forming factors. There are 13 indigenous national minorities living in our country, whose members enjoy exemplary rights. In 21st-century Europe, it goes without saying that we do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of their origin, we do not stigmatise communities, and we firmly reject the principle of collective guilt. We consistently stand up for the rights of Hungarian communities abroad.

There are far more that unite us in Central Europe than that divide us. It is no coincidence that Milan Kundera, the distinguished Czech writer, once described Central Europe as both a community of destiny and a cultural heart.

Of course, for me, fostering bilateral relations is not limited to neighbouring countries, nor is it confined to meetings with Heads of State and Government: I consider it important to engage in personal dialogue with other key players in the public law system. 
That is why, in an unusual move, I am receiving Speakers of Parliament and Foreign Ministers at Sándor Palace, convinced that trust and cooperation are strengthened not only through a single channel, but through a multifaceted dialogue.

I would like to continue along this path, which is why I am planning another year of intensive state visits aimed at building friendly relations, similar to last year. Although this is an election year in Hungary, my mandate is not affected by the national parliamentary elections.

Hungary is a well-functioning rule-of-law state. Our political system demonstrates an exceptionally high degree of stability, even by international standards. Since the introduction of free elections, Hungarian governments have consistently served out their full mandates. No matter how intense election campaigns may be, our electoral system remains clean, free, transparent, and fully compliant with the requirements of the rule of law. Hungary is a sovereign state that regards its independence and democratic legal order as a special value. It is only right that we expect the countries of the world to respect this.

Our goals are diverse, and the tasks ahead of us will only multiply. Working together makes it much easier to meet every challenge. We are living in an era of uncertainty and crisis, the likes of which we have not seen for many decades. It is a time when the usual points of reference are weakening, conflicts are more likely to escalate, and misunderstandings can have serious consequences. In this world, diplomacy is not a supplementary tool, but an indispensable condition. And in this world, diplomats are not simply mediators, but bearers of understanding, level-headedness and responsibility. It is up to you to turn confrontation into dialogue, uncertainty into predictability, and tension into cooperation. I am convinced that one of the most important keys to future security lies in your hands.

I wish you all the strength you need to achieve this!
May 2026 be a year in which we can feel and experience that we can count on each other, that our relationships are fruitful and friendly!

I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Budapest, 15 January 2026