Orbán government responds to Polish presidential election results

A “great patriotic victory” at the presidential election in Poland will give a new opportunity for the restoration of Hungary-Poland interstate relations that had been “intentionally damaged” by the government in Warsaw, the foreign minister said on Monday.

The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó as saying in response to a question at a joint press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart that the victory of Karol Nawrocki had been a welcome development and it would offer an opportunity for Hungary-Poland relations to return to their previously regular course. “The victory of the patriotic candidate will also help fill Visegrad cooperation with new life. The Polish and Czech governments have clearly tried to destroy Visegrad cooperation rather than develop it,” he added.

“But the outcome of the presidential election in Poland gives us new hope to revive Visegrad cooperation which I am convinced benefits all the countries involved, and if (ANO) president Babis manages to win in the Czech Republic in … the autumn, then I believe the Visegrad cooperation can once again become one of the closest and best working internal alliances in the European Union,” he said. “We congratulate the patriotic candidate who won the election in Poland,” he added.