Relationship dossier
Hungary
North Macedonia
Relationship assessment
Strategic cooperation coexists with a dispute over Hungary’s asylum for former North Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski.
Hungary toward North Macedonia
+10Hungary has supported North Macedonia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and maintains a strategic partnership with it. Hungary’s grant of asylum to former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, sought by North Macedonia after his conviction, was a major source of friction.
North Macedonia toward Hungary
0North Macedonia sought the return of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski after Hungary granted him asylum. The two countries also maintain a strategic partnership, although the scope of North Macedonian government cooperation with Hungary is unclear.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines a strategic partnership and Hungarian support for North Macedonia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration with a major dispute over Hungary’s asylum for Nikola Gruevski. The enduring cooperative framework is tempered by this politically consequential disagreement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Hungary and North Macedonia have a strategic partnership and cooperate on European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Hungary’s decision to grant asylum to former North Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who had fled a prison sentence, became a significant bilateral point of friction. These cooperative ties and the dispute over Gruevski’s asylum characterize the relationship.
Areas of tension
- Hungary’s grant of asylum to Nikola Gruevski and North Macedonia’s efforts to secure his return.
Key developments
Hungary and North Macedonia established a strategic partnership.
Hungary granted asylum to former North Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski, prompting North Macedonia to seek his return.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of cooperation under the strategic partnership are unclear.
- The extent of continuing bilateral cooperation beyond European and Euro-Atlantic integration is unclear.