Magyar says Hungary wants to be reliable EU ally

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Friday that Hungary wanted to be a reliable EU ally, using a national commemoration to mark a pro-European turn after Viktor Orban's 16 years in power.

Speaking outside parliament on the 70th anniversary of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, Magyar said the country could not “drift endlessly between East and West”.

“In 1956, the Hungarian people made a clear choice: we belong to a free, democratic Europe,” he told the crowd.

Magyar said Hungary wanted to be among “reliable allies” at the shared table, not isolated by blackmail or a separate path.

Hungary hosted EU leaders, prime ministers and other foreign dignitaries from more than 40 countries for the commemoration. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed a ceremonial session of parliament that was boycotted by the opposition, including Orban's Fidesz party.

Some Magyar supporters outside parliament said the pro-EU shift was overdue, while one retiree said Hungary should be constructive, not hostile, even where it criticises EU policy.