Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated on 21 September that Budapest had received an invitation from Ukraine to join the «Carpathian Eight», but had not accepted it. The Hungarian Prime Minister cited «serious reasons» for this decision, without elaborating on them. Hungary is not listed among the participants in the final declaration of the first summit.
Briefly about the main points
- Budapest has confirmed receipt of Ukraine’s invitation to the new format.
- Peter Magyar referred to «serious reasons» without specifying what they were.
- Hungary did not sign the declaration of the first Carpathian Summit.
- The document was endorsed by representatives of six countries, including Ukraine.
- The presence of the Hungarian diplomat did not imply that the country had joined the C8.
Mátyás confirmed Budapest’s position in parliament
During a speech in the Hungarian Parliament Magyar confirmed that Ukraine had invited the country to join a new regional framework. According to him, the Hungarian authorities had grounds for refusing to participate, which he described as «valid».
The Hungarian publication HVG reported that, following the Prime Minister’s statement, further questions had been sent to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mályai did not specify the exact reasons behind the decision.
How Ukraine envisaged the new regional format
Ukraine announced the Carpathian Integration Initiative on 18 September at the first summit in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. According to the Ukrainian side’s plan, the initiative was intended to bring together Ukraine, Austria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The areas of focus announced include security, energy, transport and logistics, cross-border economic cooperation and support for local communities. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the first meeting as the start of a new level of regional cooperation in the Carpathian macro-region.
The summit declaration was signed without Hungary and the Czech Republic
The final declaration of the first summit was signed by the heads of state, heads of government and representatives of Austria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Hungary and the Czech Republic are not listed among the participants in the text of the document.
The President’s Office reported that representatives from Hungary were due to take part in the economic part of the event. According to HVG, the country was represented by the head of the embassy in Kyiv; however, this did not constitute Budapest’s formal accession to the initiative. Consequently, the planned composition of the «Group of Eight» currently differs from the list of states that signed its founding declaration.
