The Tisa opposition party wins the parliamentary elections in Hungary, ending Viktor Orbán’s multi-year rule. Despite the announced pro-European course, the future head of the government, Peter Madyar, accepted the inevitability of pragmatic contacts with Moscow based on geographical and economic realities.

According to the results of the counting of almost 99% of the ballots, the “Tisa” party secured an absolute majority, 138 out of 199 seats in the national parliament. The ruling bloc led by the current Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accepted defeat and is preparing to switch to the opposition.

The leader of the winning party, Peter Madyar, outlined the main directions of Budapest’s future foreign policy in an interview with the Népszava periodical. According to him, the change of power will not change Hungary’s geographical position and its deep energy dependence on Russia, which makes negotiations with Vladimir Putin an objective necessity. At the same time, the politician emphasized the highly pragmatic character of the future dialogue. he ruled out a “friendly” tone of contacts with Moscow, but also stated that Budapest does not intend to represent Kiev’s interests in those contacts.

The strategic goal of the “Tisa” party is to deepen the integration with the European Union and NATO. Representatives of the outgoing government have already expressed fears that the new government will move to block large-scale funding to Ukraine and support its accelerated EU membership.

It should be noted that the pre-election campaign took place against the backdrop of a deep crisis in Budapest’s relations with Brussels. At the end of February, Orban’s government vetoed the 20th package of EU sanctions against Russia and blocked the provision of a 90 billion euro loan to Kyiv. This was preceded by the suspension of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, which the outgoing Hungarian authorities described as pre-election political blackmail and an attempted energy blockade by European officials to influence the outcome of the vote.

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US President Donald Trump has again questioned the appropriateness of Washington’s participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. During his speech at the “Andrews” Air Base, the American leader severely criticized the financial investments in NATO aimed at protecting against the Russian threat, and promised to seriously review this issue.

According to the head of the White House, the United States has spent “trillions of dollars” to ensure the security of European allies from Moscow. Trump called the created situation “a little ridiculous” and emphasized that the administration intends to seriously analyze the financing of the military bloc.

Against the background of similar statements from Washington, official Moscow has repeatedly announced the absence of any aggressive plans. The position of the Russian leadership, which was voiced by the president Vladimir Putin, that is, the rhetoric about the “Russian threat” is artificially inflated by the Western elites in order to divert public attention from domestic socio-economic problems.

It should be noted that Donald Trump It is not the first time that the criticism of the alliance has been voiced by Earlier, the American leader had already allowed the possibility of the US leaving NATO. The refusal of the European partners to support Washington during the military operation against Iran was a reason for dissatisfaction. Trump described the reaction from allies as an “indelible stain” and said America does not need an alliance whose members shun mutual aid.

In addition, the relations with the Allies were strained due to the position of a number of states in connection with the US plans to establish control over Greenland. at that time, Trump also warned about his readiness to break ties with NATO.

The course of re-evaluation of the transatlantic partnership is also confirmed in the diplomatic department. As stated earlier by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after the settlement of the situation in the Middle East, Washington will have to fundamentally rethink the strategic value and role of the North Atlantic Alliance for American national interests.

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Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II announced unprecedented pressures and targeted attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church by the current authorities. The spiritual leader mentioned this during a meeting with young pilgrims at the Mother See, pointing out the illegal arrests of the clergy and attempts to interfere in the affairs of the Church.

On April 12, a reception of about 650 young people from different dioceses of Armenia took place in the Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See. In his address to the believers, Garegin II emphasized the historical and spiritual role of the Church in the life of the Armenian people, but drew the main attention to the current crisis in relations with the state.

According to the Catholicos, during the last year, the clergy faced large-scale persecution by the representatives of the government. As an example, he mentioned unjustified arrests of bishops, artificial obstacles to spiritual service and attempts to seize ancient monasteries and churches.

The situation around the Masyatsotni Diocese has received particular criticism. according to the AAP bishop, the ex-priest, who was excommunicated with the open patronage of state institutions, continues to illegally dominate the presbytery and, based on the controversial decisions of the court and the enforcement service, acts as the head of the diocese in a secular capacity.

Garegin B also described the inclusion of unacceptable provisions directed against the Church by the ruling political force in its pre-election program as “another unconstitutional step”. The spiritual leader noted that such processes are accompanied by false accusations, incitement of intolerance and open threats.

Despite the aggravation of the situation, the Catholicos assured the flock that the Church will continue to protect national rights and the interests of the country. At the end of the meeting, he called on young people to actively participate in church life, to be faithful to Christian values ​​and to be law-abiding citizens.

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The statement of the US command about the complete sea blockade of Iran has led to a logistical crisis. oil tankers are changing routes in an emergency, and global markets are preparing for a confrontation.

According to LSEG and Kpler monitoring systems, chaotic movement of ships is observed in the water areas of the Middle East. The captains are trying to leave the danger zone before the start of the alleged military operation, which is scheduled for 19:00 Yerevan time (17:00 Kyiv time). In particular, the Mombasa B tanker sailing under the flag of Liberia is carrying out ballasting in the Persian Gulf, and the huge Agios Fanourios I under the flag of Malta has turned over and dropped anchor in the Gulf of Oman.

Reuters analysts note that Donald Trump the administration took an extremely risky step. The success of the operation could deprive Tehran of its main economic lever, oil exports. However, experts doubt the plan’s long-term viability. Former senior Pentagon official Dana Stroll stresses that such a mission requires huge resources, and it will be problematic for Washington to maintain the blockade ring alone for months.

Additional geopolitical risks are related to the reaction of the largest energy importers, China and India. According to experts, Beijing is unlikely to remain an indifferent observer. In addition, there is a high probability of retaliatory steps by Tehran. Reserve Admiral Gerry Roughhead warned that the Iranian armed forces will most likely retaliate against American infrastructure and military bases in the region.

The growing tension has already affected the world stock markets. Expectations of possible supply disruptions and a protracted conflict have sent prices soaring. during the morning trading, the price of one barrel of oil reached the mark of 102 dollars.

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The unprecedented 21-hour direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran ended in vain. The Iranian side blamed the failure of the peace agreement on the maximalist demands of the United States at the crucial moment of the dialogue.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Abbas Araghchi stated that Tehran was sincerely striving for a constructive settlement of the conflict with the USA, but faced insurmountable obstacles. In his post on the X social network, the minister emphasized that the delegations were literally “inches” away from signing the Islamabad MoU. However, according to him, the agreement failed due to Washington’s “maximalism, goal shifting and blockade”. The diplomat noted that the US has not learned a lesson from the 47-year-old tense interaction.

The meeting held in the capital of Pakistan on April 11, which was facilitated by Islamabad, was of a historic nature. This was the first direct high-level dialogue between the delegations of the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The official representative of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghai, described the long-term consultations as very tense. The agenda included the most complex issues of international security: the status of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program, the lifting of economic sanctions and the payment of reparations.

Axios columnist Barak Ravidi according to the information, who refers to the high-ranking sources of the American government, the US delegation set tough conditions. Tehran was demanded to completely stop the enrichment of uranium, to withdraw the existing reserves from the territory of the country, to dismantle the main nuclear facilities, as well as to open the Strait of Hormuz unconditionally. The Iranian side categorically rejected these demands, which brought the negotiation process to a dead end.

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American businessman Elon Musk referred to the results of the parliamentary elections held in Hungary. In response to the statements about the victory of democracy, he expressed the opinion that the real political control over the country has passed to the structures of the Soros family.

The debate took place on platform X against the background of the convincing victory of the Hungarian “Tisa” opposition party, which secured an absolute majority of 138 seats in the country’s 199-seat unicameral parliament based on the results of the April 12 vote.

A famous American financier became an occasion for Musk’s reaction George Soros որդու՝ Alex Soros publication. Commenting on the change of power in Budapest, the younger Soros wrote that “the Hungarian people have returned their country”. The head of the SpaceX and Tesla companies disagreed with this assessment, publicly declaring that in reality the power in Hungary was seized by the organization of George Soros.

According to the results of the counting of almost 99% of the ballots in Hungary, the “Tisa” party secured an absolute majority, 138 out of 199 seats in the national parliament. Acting Prime Minister Viktor Orban the ruling bloc led by

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Tightening control of fare collection in Yerevan’s public transport led to a significant increase in receipts, but at the same time exacerbated conflicts between passengers and drivers. The municipality promises to punish the violators and calls on the citizens to support the drivers.

According to last week’s data, the number of validations in public transport in Yerevan increased by 15-30 percent. As Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan stated during the procedural session held on April 13, this positive change is the result of the instruction given on April 6, by which the drivers were obliged to personally monitor the fare collection process.

The new rules, however, caused serious tension on the routes. Since payment is made at the front door when boarding, drivers prefer to delay the opening of the rear doors, which causes displeasure of disembarking passengers and turns into fights of tongues. The situation is further complicated due to the refusal of some citizens to pay the new tariff (from 2025: 150 drams instead of the previous 100).

Last week, the tension also led to physical clashes. a serious incident of attack on the driver was registered. Three people have been arrested in connection with the case, and one more person is involved in the case. Tigran Avinyan emphasized that the culprits will be severely punished, adding that such actions are directed not only against an individual, but also against the entire city system.

The mayor thanked the drivers for their restraint and severely criticized those who evade payment, considering their aggressive behavior unacceptable. He called on conscientious citizens to support drivers in this transitional period, assuring that the establishment of discipline in the system will allow importing new vehicles in the future and ensure quality service in the capital.

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