The Hungarian government resolutely rejects US Senator John McCain’s remarks on Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and Hungary-Russia relations, the foreign ministry said after summoning US charge d’affaires André Goodfriend on Wednesday. During their meeting, Levente Magyar, state secretary for economic diplomacy, told Goodfriend that Hungary welcomed that full US diplomatic representation in Hungary was now being restored, but would ask senior US officials to refrain from disregarding the facts when making comments about Hungary.
Asked whether Hungary was planning to take diplomatic steps, foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said Hungary’s Washington embassy was in contact with the Senator’s staff and would consult with them about his remarks and background on which they were based. US cooperation is excellent in two out of three areas, namely economic cooperation and security policy, he said, adding that “open issues in political cooperation must be resolved “without delay”. Szijjártó also gave warning that opinions about Hungary should not be based exclusively on press reports, as this can lead to a situation when “comments are not rooted in facts.”
As a respond senator John McCain has released a statement, continuing to criticize harshly the ruling Hungarian government. “Since Prime Minister Viktor Orbán came to power in 2010, antidemocratic constitutional changes have been enacted, the independence of Hungary’s courts have been restricted, non-governmental organizations raided and civil society prosecuted, the freedom of the press curtailed, and much more”, McCain said, adding he is “deeply concerned about the erosion of democratic norms in Hungary.”
via hungarymatters.hu photo: state secretary Levente Magyar (László Beliczay – MTI)