Balazs Hanko: U.S.–Hungary Relations Took a 180-Degree Turn

Balazs Hanko, Hungary's culture and innovation minister, discussed issues regarding education and culture and the shared foundation of Hungary-US political ties with the state secretary of education and an under-secretary of state of the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on Thursday.

Hungarian Culture and Innovation Minister Balazs Hanko (Photo: MTI)

Assessing his talks in Washington DC in an interview with Hungary's national news agency (MTI), Hungary's culture and innovation minister  emphasized that Hungary-U.S. ties "have taken a 180-degree turn". He said he held "excellent" negotiations with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, whom he briefed of the reforms already underway in Hungary's vocational and higher education aimed at aligning education with the demands of the labor market.

We discussed in detail the steps taken in transforming vocational education, the experiences of introducing dual education, and we also discussed how to encourage young people to choose vocational education, as well as how to provide a pathway toward higher education,

– Mr. Hanko said. He emphasized that the U.S. secretary of education agreed with him that any form of central imposition—such as the one Brussels is seeking to force on member states—is misguided. The content of education must be determined locally in a way that serves the interests of the given community.

They also agreed that education, vocational training and higher education must serve the economic interests of the country, and that Hungary is a role model in training a skilled workforce,

– said Mr. Hanko, who also discussed - with Darren Beattie, U.S. under secretary of state for public diplomacy - Hungary's possible participation in a series of celebrations marking the upcoming 250th anniversary of the U.S. 

During the talks, we discussed the possibility of joint programs that may showcase the contribution of Hungarian researchers, Hungarian developers and leading cultural figures to the development of the U.S. over the past 250 years,

 – Mr. Hanko said. The Hungarian minister also reported at the meeting that further university collaborations were discussed, with a focus on how the Hungarian academic world — which Brussels has unjustly excluded from the Erasmus program — could be brought closer to leading U.S. universities through research and educational cooperation, as well as through the Pannónia and HU-rizon programs. In Washington, Balazs Hanko held talks on further collaboration opportunities in the development of artificial intelligence with Roslyn Docktor, Vice President for Technology and Science at global computing company IBM.

The Hungarian minister in charge of higher education also visited the Catholic University of America, where he discussed joint programs with Provost Aaron Dominguez. One potential topic of these programs is the ethical dimension of artificial intelligence, including bioethical issues, and the incorporation of Christian economic principles into business education. Reflecting on his four-day official visit to the United States, Balázs Hankó stated that there is cooperation in the political sense as well, and on the issue of family policy, the two governments hold coordinated positions. Moreover, new avenues of cooperation have been opened in the university sector.

The alignment of political values is reflected in the fact that we spoke the same language with the Secretary of Education and the State Department official. We stand on the ground of normality — which evaluates education based on the benefits it brings to a nation’s economy and society, and which represents not the woke ideology, but normality in education,

– Hungary's culture and innovation minister stated. During his trip, which began Monday, Balazs Hanko held talks in Boston at MIT and Harvard University, visited Yale University in New Haven, and also made a stop at Columbia University in New York. Reviewing the university meetings, he emphasized that the focus was not on ideology, but on professionalism — the basis on which collaborations are being established, using the frameworks of Hungarian educational and research programs.

Before his departure, Minister hanko gave a speech at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington DC, where Hungarian actors Szilvia Nyari and Oszkar Nyari performed Dunakanyar, a chamber play written by Ferenc Karinthy.

In the past few days, the play was also staged in New York and in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Cover photo: Hungarian Culture and Innovation Minister Balazs Hanko (Photo: MTI)