The US Embassy in Budapest complained about Magyar Nemzet's use of the term "visa sanctions" in their headlines.Continue reading
György Szöllősi, editor-in-chief of Hungarian sports magazine Nemzeti Sport, would have opened the 25th anniversary Árpád Cup in Las Vegas on Friday morning. However, the sports diplomatic trip was scuppered because the US Embassy in Budapest refused to issue a visa, despite an official request from the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, reports Magyar Nemzet.
“I would have participated in the traditional football tournament of North American Hungarians, the 25th anniversary Árpád Cup, that I would have opened on Friday morning at the invitation of the Hungarian Cultural Council of Chicago,” writes György Szöllősi, editor-in-chief of Nemzeti Sport, in a post shared on his social media page.
However, the plan went up in smoke after the US Embassy in Budapest refused him a visa, despite a formal request for a diplomatic visa from the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“This is especially incomprehensible because as a sports journalist and as an official representative of Hungary, as an ambassador, I was denied entry,” writes the editor-in-chief.
“It is not the personal injury that hurts – although it is quite striking that I became persona non grata in the US and it would have been important to meet Hungarian friends and sports colleagues in the US – but the humiliation that my country and the undesirable press, the media representative and the sports journalist family are suffering from the United States, which was once the citadel and champion of freedom of speech,” concludes György Szöllősi’s post.
The National Media and Infocommunications Authority is outraged about the unacceptable situation.
We are particularly outraged and saddened that this decision has been made in the United States of America, once a great power that promoted freedom and human rights, against a citizen of an allied country,”
according to their statement.
As Hungary Today reported earlier, the United States has tightened the entry rules for Hungarian citizens, citing security reasons, saying that those Hungarians who are living beyond the borders and who were naturalized before 2020, have not been adequately vetted by the Hungarian government, which “poses a risk” for possible entry into the US.
The restrictions have definitely surprised the top management of the Hungarian administration. A source close to the government said that the decision by Ambassador David Pressman was the reason for the US side’s hardening of its stance. According to Bence Rétvári, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, the visa restrictions can be seen as revenge, as Hungary is not willing to hand over the data of the 900,000 Hungarians abroad with dual citizenship to the Americans.
1/5 The Biden regime has bizarrely attacked one of the most respected countries in Europe, and a key ally—Hungary. Hungary is currently leading the world with pro-family policies, protection of its culture and traditions and strengthening from within.
— Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) August 8, 2023
The matter was also recognized by Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar, who addressed Hungary in a five-part X-message (formerly Twitter). He wrote that the Biden cabinet had bizarrely attacked one of Europe’s most respected countries and one of its most important allies, Hungary, which is now a world leader in family-friendly policies, culture, and the protection of traditions. According to Paul Gosar, the Hungarian government is putting people first, as opposed to globalists and Marxists, which is infuriating the Biden administration.
David Pressman. Photo via Facebook/US Embassy Budapest
Hungarian news portal Magyar Nemzet has written to the US Ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, to ask why Szöllősi’s visa application had been denied. The US Embassy sent the following reply:
“We cannot provide information on individual visa matters because they are confidential under US law. The United States has recently brought to the attention of the Hungarian government that there has been an increase in the presentation of diplomatic passports issued by the Hungarian government by visa applicants for whom there is no clear indication of an official role within the Hungarian government.
Under US law, diplomatic visas can only be issued to foreign government officials and cannot be issued to individuals who are not employed or paid to serve in an official government capacity, regardless of the type of passport presented. These provisions of US law do not apply to Hungary,”
stated Pressman’s office in a response letter.
Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image via Pixabay