Hungarian News

Friends are Friends

• March 11, 2022
• István
• 18 Comments

Our foreign minister and others yesterday were asked by telex about the friendship with Putin and Russia in parliament building ►HU. Szijjártó answered that before the war broke out the Hungarian nation’s interest dictated that a rational, pragmatic contact based on the national values of economy and energy security. But now there is war. “The decisions taken in peacetime do not have any relevance within war.” Remarkable, seen he doesn’t question the contract about Paks 2, definitely closed in peacetime, for example. The journalist wanted to know, whether his personal friendship with Russian foreign minister Lavrov continues. “Look, we are colleagues, I have several times talked with him after the war broke out, as I talked to the vice PM of Ukraine….” Are you calling him still a friend, the reporter insisted. “No relevance,” the foreign minister stated. Gas is “a physical question,” one needs gas and one needs pipelines. In this context he blamed the USA for not deciding on a gas field in front of the coast of Romania, which would make Central Europe independent of Russian gas. The minister for foreign affairs and foreign trade obviously does not know that Exxon (not exactly the same as the USA) decided to sell its stake in that field to the Romanian state-owned Romgaz. Does he have a message for Putin? Obviously not, because he ended the interview at that point. Others moved through the halls of parliament as well. Orbán did what he always does: Ignoring journalists. János Kerényi said “not our fault.” Gyula Buday answered about the narrow friendship with Putin: “I’ve been at the border,” if this would have been the question. István Hollik said very hesitantly “we have always made nationalist policies,” without pointing out whether future friendship with Putin would be in that interest. Bence Rétvári talked about Gyurcsány, when the reporter asked for the opinion of FIDESZ the answer was Gyurcsány, the journalist told him that he would ask Gyurcsány for his opinion as well, but now it is about the governmental party the answer was: Gyurcsány. Harrach thinks that dependence on Russia would not have meant any siding with Putin. László Palkovics insists that friends are friends, but with Russia economic ties exist, that the friendship will remain, while the economic ties will change. On the question whether it wouldn’t be problematic when these friends are murdering civilians the minister answered “our friends don’t do that, the managers and engineers we are in contact with are not doing that”. Does he have a message he would like to send to Putin? No! Zoltán Tessely’s answer was short “thank you.” Antal Rogán had “a program” and run away.

After Orbán has declared that the “Hungarian model” of being part of the West and being a great friend of Putin last month would be the role model for all European countries still the elite of the ruling party does not want to get on a distance to the aggressor. Putin hasn’t been mentioned in official statements by name, the foreign minister even avoided to say Russia. FIDESZ still is not moving away from Putin, as if the war and the war crimes would happen against the will of the Russian dictator. As if the Russian army could invade a neighbour country without any involvement of Putin. Scaring the comment not to condemn the attack on a child hospital in Mariupol, but to call the international court to investigate. Cheap! Former Serb president Milosevic was prosecuted, but did this Putin scare away from starting his war against Ukraine?

But not only Putin has friends in Hungary, Orbán has great friends in Poland as well. Wait, does Orbán have friends in Poland? Artur Krzysztof Balazs was in opposition to the communist regime, co-founder of individual farmers Solidarność, interned during the period of material law, several times representative and senator and minister in democratic Poland – and since 2013 honorary consul of Hungary in Szczecin. This week Balazs resigned from his post, because Orbán did not clearly condemn Putin for his war ►HU.

In conservative Polish paper Rzeczpospolita (Republic,) 2nd largest daily of Poland and the more serious paper in opposite to the other large daily with likes much more onto the yellow press, an article was published under the title “Russia invades Ukraine, and Orbán stabs Poland with a knife in the back.” With the words “the Hungarian prime minister blames Warsaw for provoking Putin to War, to send him a signal: I supported the sanctions, but in my heart I am on your side, I am no longer part of the West” the article already summarises the problem. Orbán would be “distributing a false Russian version of recent events, which is a threat to the geopolitical raison d’état of our country.” And “Orbán found …. Poland to be the main culprit…. In one sentence condemning the Russian aggression and in the other explaining it with the adventurism of Poland, which ‘fiercely’ wants to expand NATO, Orbán stabs Poland in the back with a rusty knife. He blames Poland to send a signal to Putin: they forced me to support the sanctions, but look, I’m still with you.” The article ends with “Yes, he [Orbán] sometimes interceded with Poland, sometimes he deceived Kaczyński with the vision of a common Christian counter-revolution, but he simply dreamed of building a Hungarian version of Putinism, becoming an exponent of Russian influence in our part of Europe. The Polish right should urgently answer the question of whether it is worth maintaining such an alliance after the war.” The original is translated by Google ►PL, in Hungarian there are quotations found on 24.hu ►HU.

Since the ECJ has decided that the rule-of-law mechanism is legal Poland has already moved into the direction of the EU. For example the political imposed and controlled disciplinarian chamber for judges will be replaced by a new institution where judges will elect a self-governing body for avoiding the abuse of law. Perhaps the most problematic part of the juridical “reforms” of Polish justice is on a way to be solved. It could be that the Polish government decided to abide EU law to avoid further damage of their country. Since long the fact that some extreme rightwing in Europe was heavily divided by the love and hate for Russia. It might be that Kaczyński regards Orbán not just as suspicious, but as enemy thanks to his friendship with Russia. It looks like Putin will be the only friend that remains to Orbán – as Palkovics said: Friends are friends.