The Hungarian Parliament passed the bill on the promulgation of the charter of the Board of Peace on Tuesday with 139 votes in favor, 30 against, and 7 abstentions. The bill was submitted in mid-February by Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The preamble to the bill states that the board's goal is to end current armed conflicts and prevent the outbreak of new ones, which is in line with Hungary's national interests.
The Board of Peace was established by US President Donald Trump in January in Davos, Switzerland, where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was also present to sign the founding document and he also attended the founding meeting in Washington.
The primary purpose for establishing the Board of Peace was to resolve the Gaza conflict and oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, but its objectives have since expanded to include the broader management of global conflicts. Countries invited to join the Board of Peace can only be members for three years, but if they pay $1 billion in the first year, they can become permanent members. After the third year, any country's membership may be extended based on Trump's personal decision.
Trump is Chairman for Life of the Board of Peace, which means he will remain in office even after his second term as US president expires in three years. He can only be removed from this position if he voluntarily resigns or is unanimously deemed unfit for office. The US president has previously indicated that he believes the body may replace the UN in the future, which he believes is not functioning effectively enough.
They rejected Ukraine's EU accession in a resolution
With 142 votes in favor, 28 against, and 4 abstentions, Parliament also adopted a resolution rejecting Ukraine's EU membership, supporting its war of defense, and the transformation of the European Union into a military alliance, as well as any initiatives that threaten the sovereignty of member states, according to MTI.
According to the resolution, Hungary is opposed to Ukraine's EU membership because, on the one hand, the country does not meet the criteria for EU membership and on the other, because Ukraine is at war so its admission would make the European Union a party to the war. The resolution also calls on the government to do everything in its power to support international peace efforts, to refrain from sending money and weapons to Ukraine, and to do everything possible to prevent Hungary and the European Union from becoming embroiled in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In addition, the resolution welcomes the national petition and calls on the government to do everything in its power to prevent the EU from continuing its policy of supporting Ukraine in the war. By passing the resolution, Parliament also rejected the efforts of EU institutions to circumvent unanimous decision-making.
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