The Iran-Hungary virtual Conference entitled "Iran, Hungary, and Regional and Global Dynamics" was hosted by the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) and the cooperation of the  IPIS  and the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Policy and Trade on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.

The speakers at the online meeting were Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpoor the director of the Institute for Political and International Studies, Saeed Khatibzadeh the IPIS deputy director for research and studies, Peyman Saadat the director General of Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kayhan Barzegar, the director of the Institute for Middle East Strategic Studies and university professor, Hamidreza Nafez Arefi the Iranian Ambassador to Hungary, Gholamali Khoshroo the former Iranian representative to the United Nations, Gholamali Rajabi Yazdi a senior expert of IPIS, Hassan Ahmadian the Professor of the  University of Tehran, Ali Beman Eghbali Zarch the senior expert of center for studies, Márton Ugrósdy the director of the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Policy and Trade, Zoltan Varga-Haszonits the Hungarian Ambassador to Tehran, Peter Jakab the Director General of the East-Pacific Department of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Tamás Péter Baranyi the Deputy Director of the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Policy and Trade, Erzebet N.Rozsathe senior researcher at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, László Csicsmann the professor at the University of Corvinus in Hungary, Ádám Éva, a researcher at the Antall József Knowledge Centre, and Tamás Molnár Levente a researcher at the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Policy and Trade.

The first part of the meeting focused on the study of bilateral and transatlantic relations and was dedicated to answering these questions:

1. What are the Iran-Hungary relations’ possible scenarios in following the new developments?
2. What are the upcoming challenges and opportunities facing bilateral relations as well as potential areas for increasing bilateral cooperation?
3. What are the latest state of transatlantic relations and the future perspective?
4. What is the European Union's position for JCPOA due to the US efforts to eliminate it?
5. According to the current developments in the European Union, what is the role of the Visegrád member states in creating a balance between European countries? What will the positioning of this group in the future be?

The central question of the second part was to examine the latest developments in the Middle East, focusing on Syria, the Persian Gulf, and the upcoming opportunities and challenges for mutual cooperation.

The most important topics which were discussed at this meeting were as follows:

Regarding bilateral relations, while referring to their historical relationship, it was stated that the two countries have always had a friendly relationship without having any problem in their relations.

According to historical documents, the Hungarians migrated from the north of the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus in the 8th and 9th centuries AD and settled in present-day Hungary. During the Ottoman Empire, there were political consultations and representative exchanges between the two sides. Officially, Hungary established its diplomatic relations with Iran in 1973.

The three main elements in the current relations between Iran and Hungary are:

1. Economic-trade cooperation, which US sanctions have pushed Hungarian businesses away from the Iranian market. However, Hungary is doing its best to maintain its relations with Iran until the US sanctions are lifted.
2. Educational-student exchanges: A large number of Iranian students study in Hungary. This dimension of relations is now the main flagship of the bilateral relationship.
3. The cultural-historical dimension that is rooted in thousands of years of popular interactions. The two countries have many cultural and even linguistic commonalities.

With regard to transatlantic relations, it was stated that due to the structural and political differences between Europeans and the US, this relationship is now one-sided. Europe defines itself more as an economic power and a humanitarian actor. The European Union is interested in maintaining stability, multilateralism, and rule-based order in international relations, but the United States is committed to reducing or increasing tensions in order to achieve its political goals. Due to its one-dimensional power, the European Union wants to maintain a balanced relationship with regional powers and all the world. Therefore, maintaining the JCPOA is one of the Union's priorities, but the United States is using it as a part of its policy of pressure against Iran. Iran has stood up against unilateral US sanctions, and other countries must adopt a similar approach, as this could become an error in international law as an illegal procedure.

Regarding the European Union’s strategy towards the Persian Gulf region, it was stated that the European Union has expanded its strategic interests in its global strategy (2016) and includes this region. The Union is the proponent of multilateralism, peace, diplomacy, and disarmament in this region and expanding its relations to Iran. Regarding its position on the Syrian crisis, it was stated that the principles of the European Union's Neighborhood Policy limit its participation in the reconstruction of Syria and that the EU will only participate in humanitarian aid programs. The current important issue for Syria is the new US economic sanctions called "Caesar's Law". The sanctions will affect the region and Europe, leading to a new wave of immigration to Europe and the resurgence of extremist groups.

Regarding the Visegrád member states, it was stated that the main priority of this group is to maintain stability and security in Central Europe, the expansion of the European Union, and the integration of the Western Balkan countries in it. Its member states lack a common foreign policy. Thus, their relations are generally limited to their common position on national security, which has led them to cooperate with the United States as well as with Israel since 2015. Despite pressure from the United States and Israel, the member states of this group have always tried not to jeopardize the maintenance of the JCPOA agreement and to maintain their relations with Iran. Energy security and energy diversification are two important issues in the group's relations with the Middle East. The countries of the group are aligned with the European Union over the Middle East peace process, but the United States and Israel have blocked any EU action today to oppose the annexation of the occupied territories.