Press

For the last decade, Idlib has served as the base for the Islamists now controlling the whole country. During this time, the city in northwestern Syria was transformed irreversibly – the question is whether the model could also apply to all Syria. A report from the Islamist citadel by MRI’s Head of Research Omar Sayfo.

African migration flows are driven not only by political instability and a deteriorating security environment, but also by increasing poverty that drives people to flee, according to Olukayode Bakare of Durham University. The expert  was in Budapest as a participant on an MCC panel discussion. He was interviewed by MRI senior analyst Krisztina Edith Dócza.

A summit of EU leaders was convened in response to President Trump’s recent indications that Europe must take more responsibility for its own defense. They agreed to increase defense spending to strengthen the EU’s position in the face of the Russian threat. MRI’s analyst Róbert Gönczi spoke to Polish international news network TVP.

Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been in prison for decades, recently called for the disbanding of the organization and the laying down of arms, prompting the party leadership to officially declare a ceasefire from Saturday. This could bring about major changes in Turkish-Kurdish relations. Analysis by MRI senior researcher Meszár Tárik.

The increasing wave of violence in Western Europe is due to a lack of deportation capacity, as the perpetrators are often from a migrant background, Róbert Gönczi, an analyst at Migration Research Institute, told the morning current affairs program on national radio.

Arab countries are meeting for an emergency summit in Egypt in response to Donald Trump floating the idea of taking over the Gaza Strip and transforming it into a ‘riviera of the Middle East’. Migration Research Institute’s Senior Analyst Edith Krisztina Dócza analyzed the possible Arab response on Index.hu.

This was the first German election to clearly show how strong the anti-immigrant turn has become in German politics and public discourse. Results reflect the population’s desire to decrease the number of immigrants, Migration Research Institute Senior Analyst Edith Krisztina Dócza told Hír TV.

What is life like in Syria today? How do residents get by in everyday life? Is Syria heading towards stability, or are new conflicts on the horizon? How may Turky-Syria talks and the integration of SDF impact regional security? Migration Research Institute’s Head of Research Omar Sayfo spoke to FIX TV.

Our researcher Emese Kovács spoke on Hír TV’s morning show about how the Tidö agreement is a considerable tightening of Swedish migration policy in response to the difficulties of integration and social tensions of the last few years. The new measures are seen necessary to preserve social cohesion and the welfare system.

How is the state of the economy in Syria after power changed hands? What does the public think about the situation? Are Christians safe? How do the great powers relate to the new Damascus leadership? Our Head of Research Omar Sayfo discussed these issues in the Demokrata Óra podcast.

Following defeats in the Middle East, Islamic State is increasingly looking to Africa as shown not only by the growing number of terrorist attacks but also the changes in its organizational structure. Our director Viktor Marsai wrote for Index.hu.

Afghan society has been living through a string of crises for over half a century, therefore many people who come from there find it difficult to fit in and adjust in Europe, our Head of Research Omar Sayfo told Mandiner in an interview.

More and more EU member states decide to challenge the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, to be implemented in 2026. The Pact reflects the EU’s acceptance of irregular migration as a fact, instead of trying to find ways to combat the phenomenon plaguing the last decade, Migration Research Institute’s analyst Róbert Gönczi told M1.

U.S. President Donald Trump insists on removing Palestinians from Gaza, something that would require the use of force. Events could be speeded up by Hamas delaying the release of Israeli hostages. Migration Research Institute’s Middle East expert Meszár Tárik was interviewed by Kata Péli Nagy.

President Zoran Milanović was reelected with close to 75 percent of the votes after running for the premiership just eight months prior to the presidential elections. Who is this outspoken daredevil of Croatian politics? A profile of the president by Migration Research Institute’s researcher Géza Dobó.

Algeria considers irregular migration a severe security risk and has been deporting large numbers of undocumented migrants from the country since 2015. 2024 saw a record number of deportations with over 31,000 people pushed into neighboring Niger, according to the NGO Alarme Phone Sahara.

EU ministers of interior held talks last week in Warsaw about stopping irregular migration and increasing security in Europe. Migration Research Institute’s expert Róbert Gönczi told InfoRádió that the talks were part of the preparations for a comprehensive document aimed at realizing the tightening of policy measures against irregular migration.

A new Austrian coalition government with the Freedom Party and ÖVP in power could bring further tightenings in the country’s migration policy. The German federal elections in February promise the same, similar to Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented migrants in the U.S. Migration Research Institute Senior Analyst Edith Krisztina Dócza was interviewed on M1 television.

As France and the USA withdraw from Chad, the Hungarian Defence Forces must reassess their ambitions in the reconfigured geopolitical situation of the Sahel region, Director of Migration Research Institute and Associate Professor of International Relations and Diplomacy at Ludovika Public Service University Viktor Marsai told HVG.

The December collapse of the Assad regime started a trickle of Syrian returnees. But as a new analysis by Migration Research Institute shows, uncertainties of the situation and unfavourable economic conditions at home make the overwhelming majority of Syrian refugees continue to stay in neighbouring countries and Europe.

US interest in Greenland got new impetus with the recent Republican bill Make Greenland Green Again that would authorise President-elect Donald Trump to negotiate with Denmark to buy the island. Greenland attracts interest from the great powers for its geopolitical importance and economic potential. But can the island exploit global attention to achieve its goals […]

The number of asylum applications lodged in Europe may have decreased by 12% in 2024, but, as Migration Research Institute’s expert Róbert Gönczi told InfoRádió, there are no real changes in the processes that could decrease migration. Significant migration to Europe continues, and last year’s entrants add to the accumulation of arrivals.

Recent events prove Islamic State’s continuing ability to incite acts of terrorism in the west, even if they lost much of their sphere of geographical influence. MRI’s senior researcher Meszár Tárik’s analysis was published on the Hungarian entrepreneurs’ portal növekedés.hu.

Grooming scandals in the UK suggest children may get sacrificed to political correctness in the country. As Migration Research Institute expert Sára Kmeczkó explains, grooming gang members are typically of South East Asian migrant background, Muslim, from lower socioeconomic position. Authorities now stand accused of turning a blind eye to avoid tensions.