German foreign minister Johann Wadephul set to visit Budapest after seven-year hiatus

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is scheduled to arrive in Budapest on Monday, the first such visit by a German foreign minister since Heiko Maas travelled there in November 2019. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, President András Baka, Economy Minister István Kapitány and representatives of German and Hungarian businesses. Officials describe the mission as an opportunity to open a new chapter in bilateral relations, with security concerns, Russia’s war on Ukraine and EU enlargement on the agenda.

The visit comes after a busy week for Hungary that included meetings on Ukraine’s minority-rights commitments, especially for the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, and renewed contacts with the Baltic states and Visegrád partners. Orbán has linked further support for Ukraine’s EU path to concrete improvements for Transcarpathian Hungarians. The German Foreign Office highlighted the change of government in Budapest as a chance for renewed political and economic cooperation.