On 29–30 September 2025, Balázs Tárnok, Director of Research at the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics (JLI), and Tamás Csiki Varga, Head of the Strategic Defence Research Programme at JLI, participated in a professional visit to Helsinki. The visit was made possible by the invitation of Ambassador Klára Breuer and organised by the Embassy of Hungary in Helsinki, with the aim of deepening Hungarian–Finnish professional relations in the fields of foreign, security, and defence policy.
As part of the programme, the researchers held consultations with Tapio Pyysalo, Head of International Relations at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats; Jarkko Paavola, Head of Education and Research at the Turku University of Applied Sciences; and Annukka Ylivaara, Deputy Secretary General of the Finnish Security Committee. A highlight of the visit was the expert meeting with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), including its Director, Hiski Haukkala, and Programme Director, Juha Jokela, as well as with Professor Tommi Koivula of the National Defence University of Finland. The discussions covered, among other topics, the main strategic processes in the foreign, security, and defence policies of allied states, EU and NATO policies, as well as Ukraine’s EU accession process, during which the Hungarian perspective was also presented in detail.
Key outcomes of the consultations include drawing on Finnish experiences and practices in countering hybrid threats to strengthen Hungarian policy and societal preparedness, gaining insights into the operational model of the Finnish Security Committee and the concept of comprehensive security, which may serve as important lessons for enhancing Hungary’s state and societal resilience, as well as identifying potential opportunities for academic cooperation with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and the National Defence University of Finland.
The visit fully achieved its objectives: it resulted in the establishment of new professional contacts, the deepening of existing partnerships, and the acquisition of experiences that may, in the long term, contribute to the development of Hungarian foreign and security policy thinking.
The John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics hereby expresses its gratitude to the Embassy of Hungary in Helsinki and to Ambassador Klára Breuer for their outstanding support in organising the visit.
Text and photos: Balázs Tárnok