Hungarian Prime Minister To Deliver Major Speech
At Tufts University On European Security

Viktor Orban, the 38-year-old Prime Minister of Hungary, will deliver a major speech on European security Mon., Feb. 11th at Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where he will receive a University honorary degree for his leadership in post-Communist Europe.

Orban has been described by the New York Times as "one of Central Europe's most unusual politicians, leading a political and cultural counter-revolution against what he considers the residue and inheritors of Hungary's Communist past." At Tufts, Orban is expected to address a series of crucial foreign policy issues in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. These issues include:

A new strategic framework for trans-Atlantic relations;

NATO's plans to reorganize its priorities in confronting terrorism;

European Union policies in crucial areas such as international security and defense policies;

The case for enlarging the European Union. [Hungary is a member of NATO and considered a front-runner for admission to the EU.]

Orban's speech comes during a time of dynamic change and uncertainty in Europe. Young democracies, such as Hungary, are booming financially; two old enemies, Russia and the United States, are reinventing their relationship; and, with the creation of the single international market and the introduction of the Euro as a single currency, the integration process has reached its highest level so far.

President Lawrence S. Bacow will confer the first honorary degree of his presidency on Orban for his leadership. Bacow said Orban has "earned the respect and trust of a nation--as a participant in the negotiations that led to the opening up of Hungary, as a Parliamentarian, as a founder and leader of his own political party, and as the nation's elected Prime Minister at the age of 35."

WHEN: A news conference prior to the Prime Minister’s speech will be held from 4 to 4:25 p.m. Mon., Feb. 11 [Rm. 703], at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. The honorary degree ceremony and Prime Minister Orban’s speech will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the ASEAN auditorium.