Hungary’s diplomatic ties with the United States could improve markedly under Republican Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was quoted as saying on Friday after a telephone conversation with the U.S. president-elect, Reuters reported citing Hungarian business daily Világgazdaság.
I was regarded as a black sheep [in Washington DC]. He laughed and said so was he. (Hungary PM Viktor Orbán on his phone conversation with US President-Elect Donald Trump)
“I spoke on the phone with the new U.S. president and I can say that our position has improved remarkably,” Viktor Orbán said in an interview with Világgazdaság. “Donald Trump has made it clear that he regards Hungary highly”, Orbán said, adding that Trump had invited him to Washington for talks at an unspecified date. “I told him that I have not been there for a long time as I was regarded as a ‘black sheep’,” Orbán was quoted as saying. “He laughed and said so was he.”
Previously Orbán had said that the outcome of the US presidential election presents an opportunity to “change things for the better”. “I think that with Donald Trump, the United States will have a president who is not ideologically limited, that is, he is an open person, much more interested in success, efficiency and results than political theories,” Orbán was quoted as saying. Furthermore, in July he became the first European leader to express a clear preference for Trump and then said the foreign policy plans of Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, would be “deadly” for Hungary.
Meanwhile Hungary’s Ambassador to Washington DC, Réka Szemerkényi, has revelead on Twitter that she has already met the next President of the United States. “Hungary looks forward to working closely with the Trump administration”, Szemerkényi wrote:
Very honored to meet President-elect #DonaldTrump yesterday. Hungary looks forward to working closely with the Trump administration. pic.twitter.com/7Cdv0FkHJw
— Amb Réka Szemerkényi (@AmbSzemerkenyi) 2016. november 24.
via Reuters and vg.hu; cover photo: Matt Rourke – AP