Hungary summons Swedish ambassador over PM’s comments on Orbán’s Georgia visit, rejecting ‘outrageous’ interference claims

Hungary’s foreign ministry has summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Budapest over comments made by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in connection with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent visit to Georgia, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Wednesday, adding that the government “firmly rejects” Kristersson’s remarks.

Speaking during a break in a cabinet meeting, Szijjártó said “those in Brussels and European liberals can’t process the outcome of the election in Georgia”.

“The winners in Georgia weren’t the ones they wanted, but rather the Georgian people made a decision themselves, and sure enough, they didn’t elect a liberal party but a conservative, sovereigntist, pro-peace and pro-family political force, once again with over 50 percent support,” Szijjártó said, according to a ministry statement.

“They can’t come to terms with this in Brussels, and neither can the liberal mainstream, so they are trying to cause disturbance in all kinds of ways and question the outcome of the Georgian elections,” he said.

He said Viktor Orbán’s visit to Georgia this week had also received “all kinds of … ridiculous and at times pathetic criticism”.

Szijjártó said he would not comment on his Polish counterpart’s remarks, but “if the prime minister of … an EU and NATO country questions whose position and interests the Hungarian prime minister represents, that crosses a line and calls for speaking out”.

He said Sweden’s prime minister, who not long ago had been in Budapest asking Hungary to back his country’s NATO membership, had suggested this week that his Hungarian counterpart had gone to Tbilisi “on behalf of Russia”.

“That is a statement we must reject in the strongest terms,” Szijjártó said. “We do not accept anyone questioning that we represent our own interests, Hungarian national interests and the Hungarian position.”

“We are not a jawohl country; no one can tell us what to say or represent, we represent Hungarian national interests,” Szijjártó added.

He said the foreign ministry had summoned the Swedish ambassador yesterday afternoon to clarify the government’s position, and had asked that Swedish officials refrain from making such comments in the future.

Szijjártó said these kinds of remarks “are not based on mutual respect in any way, and it doesn’t appear that they strive to improve our cooperation as allies”.

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