Orbán cabinet: Hungary-US ties have entered a time of honesty, Trump views us as friends

Washington has sent a clear message that Hungary-US relations are no longer a political hunting ground but a forum for honesty, a government official said on Wednesday.

Hungary-US relations are no longer a political hunting ground

The US State Department has released its annual human rights country report, and the chapter on Hungary “is radically different” from what typified its reports of recent years, the foreign ministry state secretary for helping persecuted Christians, Tristan Azbej, said in a post on Facebook.

The Biden administration had behaved like “a sworn enemy” of Hungary’s government, he said, adding that its human rights report was “stuffed with political attacks, false claims and the narrative of the Soros network and the NGOs they finance”. “Now a much shorter, more balanced document” has emerged, praising Hungary for its record on human rights and human dignity, he added.

Trump views Hungary as a friend

According to the report, the government takes action against human rights abuses, and no setbacks in the area of human rights have been noted, Azbej said. It further noted that combatting anti-Semitism was a top government priority and Hungary’s Jewish community enjoyed a free and inclusive environment, he added.

The report no longer contained “woke accusations” from “the gender lobby”, he said. President Donald Trump and the Republican administration “view our country as a friend”, Azbej added. According to the 16 page report available on the State Department’s website, there were no credible reports of significant human rights abuses last year. The report says the government had taken reliable steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, and identified areas that could be improved.

The report notes the establishment of the Sovereignty Protection Office, “which, with the assistance of law enforcement, targeted organisations with ties to foreign actors”, such as investigative reporting outfit Átlátszó and Transparency International Hungary.

Government respects press freedom

On Oct 28, the office released a report based on its review of Átlátszó which concluded that “having accepted foreign funding, Átlátszó also engaged in activities aimed at influencing state and social decision-making processes and was part of a complex international network representing the interests of its financiers, causing significant political, economic, and social harm to the country”.

The chapter on press freedom says the government had respected the freedom of expression. It said independent media had been active and had expressed a wide variety of views, adding, however, that government policy and practices “influenced public service and some private media outlets as well as the media market, which disadvantaged some kinds of media”.

According to the report, the government had made combatting anti-Semitism a top priority, emphasising “its welcoming and open environment for Jews”. The report also touched on worker rights, wage and hour laws, child protection and religious freedom. The document makes no mention of government corruption, LGBTQ rights or prison conditions.

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