Hungarian Foreign Policy Proved Effective in Past Challenges

"During the serious challenges of the past years, Hungarian foreign policy has always found the right answers, while Brussels has failed to respond to crises," Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade said at the Parliamentary European Affairs Committee meeting on Friday. Opposition MEPs indicated in advance that they would not attend the hearing.

Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto gives report at the European Affairs Committee meeting of the Hungarian National Assembly in the House of Parliament on May 3, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Szilard Koszticsak)

Christian Democrat (KDNP) MP Hajnalka Juhasz asked whether Brussels was penalizing Hungary for ideological reasons. Tamas Menczer (Fidesz) pointed out that the leftists were not representing Hungarian interests because they had received orders not to from abroad. "If the Left wins the EP elections, they will engage us in the war, so the stakes are extremely high," he stressed.

Hungary's national Greek minority spokesman, Koranis Laokratis, thanked Hungary for opening an embassy in Cyprus.

According to Fidesz MEP Kinga Gal, the Hungarian Left proactively contributed to the adoption of political resolutions condemning Hungary, while Fidesz MEP Tamas Deutsch remarked that the European Parliament has an even more radical pro-war and pro-sanctions stance than the European Council, and that Hungarian left-wing MEPs invariably vote for pro-war resolutions in the EP.

In his reply, the FM Szijjarto admitted that  

The observable tendency in Brussels is that those who oppose migration, gender propaganda and war can expect to be denied EU funds.

According to the report by the foreign minister, there was no room for rational debate in Brussels even before the war, but since then, the over-politicization of issues has reached new heights.

"Usually dogmatic debates dominate meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers, but now there are also dogmatic debates among energy ministers, which raises questions about whether there is any point in having debates at all," Peter Szijjarto said.

Cover photo: Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto gives report at the European Affairs Committee meeting of the Hungarian National Assembly in the House of Parliament on May 3, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Szilard Koszticsak)