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GULYÁS: HUNGARY ‘RESPECTFULLY WELCOMES REPRESENTATIVES OF EVERY STATE’

 

Asked to comment on reports that the US ambassador had been sent to Hungary “to take control of the left wing”, head of the PM’s office Gergely Gulyás said the Hungarian government respectfully welcomed representatives of every state. They come to Hungary to deepen relations between the two countries, he added. Gulyás said a billboard campaign supported by the US embassy had come “too late”. He said the campaign would have served Hungary’s independence better in 1956, “but Suez or the presidential election was more important to them at the time.” Gulyás said the Hungarian government’s position on the war “should be acceptable to an important NATO ally”. “If it isn’t, then that partner should discuss the matter with the cabinet,” he added. There were two views taken on the war, he said, one urging a ceasefire and peace talks. But, he added, a ceasefire would not entail the recognition of the current frontlines as borders. It would, however, “end the killing”, he said. According to the other view, the war should go on until the borders between the two countries are identical to the ones recognised by international law, Gulyás said. Those who hold the latter view support a months-long or years-long war, he insisted.
Meanwhile, Gulyás said it was not yet clear what areas the European Union’s planned 11th sanctions package would apply to because the European Commission had yet to send a draft version. Talks on the payment of cohesion and recovery funds are ongoing, Gulyás said, adding that the EC was “constantly promising to respond in the next few days”.
Regarding Sweden’s NATO accession, Gulyás declined to speculate as to when parliament could ratify the agreement. Trust between the two countries has to be repaired through dialogue, which Hungary is open to, he said. But some of the labels used by Sweden in the recent period regarding Hungary call for a minimum level of trust between the two countries, he added.
Asked about corruption in Brussels, Gulyás said that as a member of the EU, “we are interested in the headquarters of the European Union functioning well and being above all suspicion”, and yet we see that “Brussels is full of corruption”, and there are still cases suggesting “charges of influence peddling”. It must be made clear that no norms other than EU law apply in Brussels, he said, adding that “we support the investigation of such cases”.
Speaking about EU foreign policy, he said the main subject of Hungarian criticism was that major EU member states did not recognise or represent European interests, while major actors of international diplomacy stood up for their own interests. Regarding the statements made by French President Macron during his visit to China, Gulyás said it was “a brave step and initiative for Europe to recognise its own interests and act accordingly”. He said Europe was interested in free trade and that within the relevant framework “we maintain economic relations not only with our allies but also with the eastern half of the world”.
Asked about whether the Hungarian government supported the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission, Gulyás said it was too early to comment on that. At the same time, he noted that the German union parties have recently decided that they would support her re-election and she was present at the meeting. Gulyás dismissed as “speculation” the suggestion that the German politician would continue her career as NATO Secretary General. Asked about the EU farm subsidies, he said “these are coming to Hungary without interruption”, and they were not affected by the dispute over cohesion funds.
Asked about the central bank’s planned narrowing of the interest rate corridor and the management of inflation, Gulyás said lending interest rates were “so high nowadays” that almost no one would borrow a significant amount to buy a home. He said the reduction of the upper threshold of the interest rate corridor should be followed by “many similar steps” for this situation to change. Gulyás said he expected inflation to fall significantly in the summer, with a breakthrough taking place probably in July and August.
Asked about the fate of the state’s share in the International Investment Bank (IIB), which is pulling out of the country, the minister said the Hungarian state was obliged to enforce all its claims. He said the regulation “making clear that the headquarters of this bank is no longer in Budapest” will be published later during the day, and with the departure, diplomatic immunities will expire. Asked whether Russia is also a friend of Hungary’s, like the United States, Gulyás said “Russia is our partner, our economic partner primarily in the procurement of commodities; the United States is our ally and our allies are our friends,” he said. He said he did not know of any substantial damages caused to Hungary by the sanctions announced by the United States concerning the International Investment Bank, but, he added, the question was how much money Hungary could obtain of capital invested into the bank. Just as Czechia and Slovakia, Hungary will also enforce its claim on money invested, he said.
Meanwhile, Gulyás said the modifications to the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant did not affect any key aspects of the construction. The changes are technical in nature, and the price and interest remain unchanged, he said. The modifications will have to be submitted to the European Commission for approval, after which they will be released to the public, he added. Asked about the release of any aspects of the recent Pentagon leaks concerning Hungary, Gulyás said this required the opinion of the intelligence services. Hungary has no knowledge of the US eavesdropping on any Hungarian political leaders, he said, adding that no such documents had leaked from the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, Gulyás said Hungary had submitted every request for financial contribution to its border fence to the EC, but the body never approved any support. So far, only the leader of the European People’s Party has changed his mind when it comes to building border fences, but there are not yet any signs of the EC changing its view, even though its leader belongs to the same political family, he said.
Asked about the closures in Kossuth Square because of the Pope’s visit next weekend, Gulyás said certain parts of the square were being closed to the public while the stage is being built, and the green spaces also have to be closed off. Gulyás said the government had no plans to amend the Penal Code to include penalties for “public interest reports” concerning the violation of constitutional values. He said the law had been approved to comply with the harmonisation of EU law. In response to another question, Gulyás said marijuana would not be legalised in Hungary as long as the Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance was in power.