As with any country, Hungarian security attitudes are shaped largely by history and geography. For Hungary, this is a history of more than 400 years of domination by great powers—the
Ottomans, the
Habsburg dynasty, the
Germans during
World War II, and the Soviets during the
Cold War—and a geography of regional instability and separation from Hungarian minorities living in neighboring countries. Hungary's foreign policy priorities, largely consistent since 1990, represent a direct response to these factors. From 1990, Hungary's top foreign policy goal was achieving integration into Western economic and security organizations. Hungary joined the
Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has actively supported the
IFOR and
SFOR missions in
Bosnia. The
Horn government achieved Hungary's most important foreign policy successes of the post-communist era by securing invitations to join both
NATO and the
European Union in 1997. Hungary became a member of NATO in 1999, and a member of the
EU in 2004. Hungary also has improved its often frosty neighborly relations by signing basic treaties with
Romania,
Slovakia, and
Ukraine. These renounce all outstanding territorial claims and lay the foundation for constructive relations. However, the issue of ethnic Hungarian minority rights in Slovakia and Romania periodically causes bilateral tensions to flare up. Hungary was a signatory to the
Helsinki Final Act in 1975, has signed all of the CSCE/
OSCE follow-on documents since 1989, and served as the OSCE's Chairman-in-Office in 1997. Hungary's record of implementing CSCE
Helsinki Final Act provisions, including those on the reunification of divided families, remains among the best in eastern Europe. Hungary has been a member of the
United Nations since December 1955. ;The
Gabčíkovo - Nagymaros Dams project This involves Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and was agreed on September 16, 1977 ("Budapest Treaty"). The treaty envisioned a
cross-border barrage system between the towns Gabčíkovo,
Czechoslovakia and Nagymaros, Hungary. After an intensive campaign, the project became widely hated as a symbol of the old
communist regime. In 1989 the
Hungarian government decided to suspend it. In its sentence from September 1997, the
International Court of Justice stated that both sides breached their obligation and that the 1977 Budapest Treaty is still valid. In 1998 the Slovak government turned to the International Court, demanding the Nagymaros part to be built. The international dispute was partially solved in 2017. On March 19, 2008, Hungary recognized
Kosovo as an independent country. Relations between Hungary and its Western partners have strained, because Orban's government has maintained relations with Russia despite
sanctions against Russia after the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Illicit drugs: Major trans-shipment point for
Southwest Asian
heroin and
cannabis and transit point for
South American
cocaine destined for
Western Europe; limited producer of precursor
chemicals, particularly for
amphetamines and
methamphetamines
Refugee protection: The
Hungarian border barrier was built in 2015, and Hungary was criticized by other European countries for using tear gas and water cannons on
refugees of the Syrian Civil War as they were trying to pass the country. Since 2017,
Hungary–Ukraine relations have rapidly deteriorated over the issue of the
Hungarian minority in Ukraine. The U.S. election on 5 November 2024 resulted in a landslide Republican victory. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán loudly and consistently proclaimed that he not only expected Trump to take back the presidency but heartfully wished him to do so. Thanks to Orbán's unwavering support towards Trump, the personal relationship between the two statesmen has become impeccable, especially during the Biden administration when U.S.-Hungarian relations hit rock bottom. ==Hungary and Turkic States==