Jobbik protests move to Budapest by Russian bank

Citing a threat to national security, the opposition Jobbik party is protesting against plans to move the Russia-based International Investment Bank’s (IIB) headquarters to Budapest, saying that Russia would be setting up a “nest of spies” in the country with the support of Hungary’s prime minister and government.

In early February, the Hungarian government signed an agreement with IIB on the bank’s relocation to Budapest from Moscow.

The nationalist party’s deputy leader told a press conference on Tuesday that “individuals with dubious backgrounds” would be operating in Hungary as a result of the move. Jobbik MP Tibor Bana said that the family of IIB’s chairman, Nikolay Kosov, “is clearly linked to Russian secret services”.

“The government is serving interests that aim to destabilise the EU, and this puts Hungary at the mercy of Russia,” he said.

AGREEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT BANK BUDAPEST HEADQUARTERS SIGNED

An agreement on establishing the headquarters of the International Investment Bank (IIB) in Budapest was signed by Finance Minister Mihály Varga and IIB chairman Nikolay Kosov on February. Read more details HERE.