Hungarian Prime Minister’s invitation
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar invited Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to Budapest to attend events for the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The main commemorative event occurs this Friday in a central Budapest square where Magyar will address attendees. Magyar wrote in his invitation letter that the freedom Central Europe regained in 1989 began 33 years earlier in the streets of Budapest. According to Georgia’s Government Administration, Magyar said it would be an honour to welcome Kobakhidze to the event to pay tribute to those whose courage inspires Europe’s shared future. After Magyar defeated Viktor Orban in the Hungarian parliamentary elections earlier in 2026, the invitation of Irakli Kobakhidze indicates that Georgian Dream’s ties with Orban do not preclude the possibility of future friendly relations with the new Hungarian government. This follows Orban’s visit to Tbilisi in October 2024, which happened days after Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections, when he publicly backed Georgian Dream’s victory despite criticism from international observers. Also, Orban’s government opposed EU measures against Georgian officials amid a crackdown on pro-EU protests in Georgia.
Political friction over the invitation
Zourabichvili criticized the invitation in a post on X. She claimed the Prime Minister of a government that turned Georgia’s back to the EU and supports Russia’s regained influence in Georgia is invited to celebrate the 1956 Budapest uprising against Soviet rule. These accusations follow the announcement by Georgian Dream that it would not pursue EU accession talks until 2028, which caused relations between Tbilisi and Brussels to deteriorate. The 1956 uprising began on 23 October 1956 as a demonstration against the country’s Soviet-backed government and the domination of the Soviet Union. Soviet forces crushed the revolt in November, killing thousands and forcing many more to flee the country. I find Zourabichvili’s anger understandable because the Georgian government’s shift away from the EU contrasts with the historical context of the Hungarian Revolution. Magyar’s invitation to commemorate a struggle against Soviet rule seems contradictory given the Georgian government’s recent political trajectory. The uprising in Budapest ended after a violent crackdown by Soviet forces, which left thousands dead and created a massive wave of refugees.
