THE MULTI-VECTOR NATURE OF HUNGARY’S EASTERN POLICY

The author attempts to trace the development of the eastern direction of Hungary’s foreign policy, which received the name «Opening to the East» with the return in 2010 to the Hungarian policy of Viktor Orban’s cabinet. The reason for the study of this aspect was the recent visit of the Hungarian Prime Minister to Moscow on February 1, 2022. In our country, especially after the crisis of 2014, these visits are seen as a breakthrough event, a success of politics and diplomacy. The European Union does not share such a degree of pragmatism of Viktor Orban’s foreign policy, seeing in his trips primarily a political component, which forces him to precede and conclude visits to Moscow with a cascade of meetings with leading Western politicians. The same thing happens before and after the visits of the Russian leader to Budapest. In Hungary, relations with Moscow are viewed exclusively from a pragmatic standpoint, since their economic component allows to achieve real results in overcoming the crisis phenomena affecting the daily lives of citizens (gas, gasoline, electricity, etc.). In addition, the Russian direction is a component of a broader direction of «Opening to the east»” policy. This program, where the Turk element is a significant factor, also separately includes relations with specific Muslim republics of central Russia, with the states of the Caucasus and Central Asia, with Turkey, China, etc.