The Main Priorities of Hungary’s Policy in Contemporary Central Asia

Abstract

The relevance of this study is determined by the need to analyze Hungary’s foreign policy strategy in Central Asia in the context of its effort to combine economic pragmatism, cultural diplomacy, and strategic autonomy. The aim of the research was to identify the key directions, mechanisms, and instruments of Hungary’s policy in the contemporary Central Asian region. The methodology included content analysis of official documents and intergovernmental agreements, case studies of strategic projects, comparative analysis of foreign policy approaches, and a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) assessment of policy effectiveness. The findings show that Hungary has developed an institutionalized system of bilateral and multilateral relations with key Central Asian states, creating a stable legal and organizational framework for cooperation. Economic, energy, and infrastructure initiatives have become the primary tools for achieving foreign policy objectives. Balancing European Union membership with an autonomous eastern orientation has allowed Hungary to act as a mediator between Europe and Central Asia. At the same time, limited resources and competition with major international actors constrain the scope and sustainability of this policy. The results indicate that the Keleti Nyitás strategy has supported Hungary’s institutional presence in Central Asia, although its long-term sustainability remains constrained by limited resources, personalized political leadership, and uneven economic outcomes. The analytical framework developed in the study may be adapted for comparative examination of how small European states combine economic diplomacy, multilateral participation, cultural positioning, and strategic autonomy in their external regional policies. The practical significance of the study lies in its use as an analytical tool for assessing the institutional sustainability, coordination mechanisms, and economic grounding of bilateral and multilateral initiatives involving small states. The study’s original contribution is the development of an analytical model that interprets Hungary’s Central Asian policy as a combination of functional multilateralism, economic diplomacy, cultural identification, and strategic autonomy.