Hungarian foreign minister lambasts EU 'hypocrisy' on Georgia

The European Union “has set the world record in hypocrisy” on the matter of Georgia, but Hungary and Slovakia have vetoed proposed sanctions against certain law enforcement leaders of the country, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Brussels on Monday.

Szijjártó told a press conference after a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council that the EU “has Georgia in its crosshairs” because a “pro-peace, patriotic, conservative party” had won the elections, rather than liberal forces. According to a ministry statement, Szijjártó rejected the EU’s “brutal political attack”, saying that the Georgian Dream party had governed for 12 years, “during which the average income has tripled and GDP and the volume of external investments have doubled.” The ruling party in Georgia had performed well and earned the trust of voters, he said. “Nobody in Brussels has the right to question the will of the Georgian people.” The minister said the reports of police brutality at demonstrations in Tbilisi were “one-sided”, and there had been “violent elements” among the demonstrators as well.

According to his Georgian counterpart, some 40 police officers were injured as a result, he said.

The EU “can’t impose sanctions on a country because they decided to push back accession talks to 2028,” he said.

read also: Orbán cabinet: Hungary congratulates Georgian Dream party on election win

“There was a puffed-up, resentful, frustrated approach to Georgia, which I refused to support.” Regarding the situation in Syria, Szijjártó said the country must not be allowed to become a hotbed of terrorism or extremist ideologies, and migration waves in the direction of Europe must be prevented. Further, the persecution of Christians must be stopped, he added.

“Hungary continues to provide aid for Christian communities so they can stay in their homeland and preserve their rights … So far we have provided humanitarian support worth some 30 million euros for Syrian communities, and we will continue to do so,” Szijjártó said.

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