What happened? Hungarian foreign minister’s interference in internal affairs of a dictatorship
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Friday said he will urge the European Union to take a “bolder and firmer” position on the recent developments in Venezuela at next week’s meeting of EU foreign ministers.
In a Facebook post after a phone call with Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, Szijjártó said they were in agreement on the importance of respecting sovereignty, freedom, free elections and fundamental democratic values.
He said he had told Machado that the Hungarian nation’s history was filled with fights for freedom and sovereignty, struggles against oppressors and the love of freedom.
“I assured her that at next week’s meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, I will urge the European Union to take a bolder, firmer and more clear-cut position on the issue of the developments in Venezuela,” the minister said.
What this means – Hungary’s policy shift
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced a dramatic shift in Hungary’s foreign policy regarding Venezuela. Szijjártó’s latest Facebook post reveals that Hungary, after initially attempting to cosy up to the Venezuelan regime and waiting after the disputed July elections, has now aligned itself with the Venezuelan opposition.
This move signifies Hungary’s departure from its previous alignment with Russia and China, which are major international backers and financiers of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, 444.hu writes.
It appears that Hungary has assessed continued support for Maduro as unreasonably costly or ultimately futile and is now attempting to reposition itself as a proactive player on the international stage regarding this issue.
Context of the Venezuelan elections
The Venezuelan elections held on July 28 were critical, as they determined whether Nicolás Maduro, the leftist Chavista leader whose tenure has led to the collapse of the country (evidenced by the 7-8 million refugees who have fled Venezuela, despite it holding the world’s largest oil reserves), would remain in power for another term. The elections, which were marred by allegations of fraud, were even more visibly manipulated than those in 2019.
Read also:
Suspicious, but i must admit that this is good. Those elections are a complete scam by Maduro (aka the latinamerican orban)
This apparent about turn is only happening because they think Maduro’s days are numbered and they’re cosying up to the new regime that’s likely to take charge. I’d suggest there’s only one reason for this: oil. The same oil they’ll have to import through ‘unreliable’ Croatia.