UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The West’s regular criticism of Hungary on democratic and cultural points makes the small European nation’s right-wing government reluctant to supply assist on sensible issues, particularly NATO’s buildup in opposition to Russia, Hungary’s overseas minister mentioned.
In an interview with The Related Press, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó additionally mentioned Friday that his nation has not voted on whether or not to permit Finland and Sweden to affix NATO as a result of Hungarian lawmakers are sick of these international locations’ critiques of Hungarian home affairs.
Lawmakers from the governing social gathering plan to vote Monday in favor of the Finnish request however “serious concerns were raised” about Finland and Sweden in latest months “largely due to the very disrespectful conduct of the political elites of each international locations in the direction of Hungary,” Szijjártó mentioned.
“You already know, when Finnish and Swedish politicians query the democratic nature of our political system, that’s actually unacceptable,” he mentioned.
A vote on Sweden is tougher to foretell, Szijjártó mentioned.
The EU, which incorporates 21 NATO international locations, has frozen billions in funds to Budapest and accused populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban of cracking down on media freedom and LGBTQ rights. Orban’s administration has additionally been accused of tolerating an entrenched tradition of corruption and co-opting state establishments to serve the governing Fidesz social gathering.
In a European Parliament decision, EU lawmakers declared final 12 months that Hungary had change into “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy” beneath Orban’s nationalist authorities and that its undermining of the bloc’s democratic values had taken Hungary out of the group of democracies.
That criticism raised objections inside Hungary and made it exhausting for the federal government to assist Finland and Sweden’s bids to affix NATO, Szijjártó mentioned. Skeptics insist that Hungary has merely been attempting to win profitable concessions.
In relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Szijjártó mentioned that his nation’s advocacy of peace doesn’t imply accepting that Russia would hold the territory it at the moment controls.
“You already know, stopping the battle and sitting across the desk doesn’t imply that you just settle for the established order,” he mentioned. “When the battle stops and the peace talks begin, it’s not obligatory that the borders could be the place the entrance traces are. We all know this from our personal historical past as effectively … Stop-fire has to return now.”
As for relations with the US, Szijjártó mentioned that they had a heyday beneath former President Donald Trump. His authorities discovered issues harder beneath President Joe Biden.
In good, almost unaccented English, Szijjártó defined that Hungary is “a clearly rightist, right-wing, Christian Democratic, conservative, patriotic authorities.” He then went on in phrases that will be acquainted to hundreds of thousands of Individuals.
“So we’re mainly in opposition to the mainstream in any attributes of ours. And in case you are in opposition to the liberal mainstream, and within the meantime, you’re profitable, and within the meantime, you proceed to win elections, it’s not digestible for the liberal mainstream itself,” he mentioned. “Beneath President Trump, the political relationship was nearly as good as by no means earlier than.”
Key to that relationship was Trump’s acceptance of Hungary’s insurance policies towards its personal residents. The federal government has banned the sharing of supplies with minors that it regards as a show or promotion of homosexuality or gender reassignment.
The legislation has been condemned by human rights teams and politicians from round Europe as an assault on Hungary’s LGBT group.
Szijjártó mentioned Trump was extra welcoming of such measures than the Biden administration.
“He by no means needed to impose something. He by no means needed to place stress on us to vary our mind-set about household. He by no means needed us to vary our mind-set about migration. He by no means needed us to vary our mind-set about social points,” Szijjártó mentioned.
He additionally mentioned Trump’s perspective towards Russia could be extra welcome by some events as we speak.
Throughout Trump’s time period within the White Home, Russia didn’t begin “any assault in opposition to anybody,” Szijjártó mentioned.
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Related Press Author Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.