PM Orbán condemns coup on X – UPDATED

The Hungarian government firmly supports “Niger’s democratically elected president and supports his return to his office”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after talks with Hadja Lahbib, his Belgian counterpart, on Sunday. Szijjártó said on Facebook that Europe’s security was in close connection with security in Africa, and in the Sahel region, especially because the latter could “easily become a source of migration waves”. He added that the recent coup against President Mohamed Bazoum could undermine stability in the whole region. The two foreign ministers agreed on the need for joint action to ensure stability in the Sahel and to fight terrorism, Szijjártó said.

Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén held talks with Riccardo Paterno di Montecupo, the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta, at the Order’s headquarters in Rome, on Friday. At their meeting in the Magistral Palace they reviewed the excellent relations between the Order of Malta and Hungary and the operation of the Hungarian Maltese Charity, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

They also discussed the issue of the 11 former Ukrainian prisoners of war released in Russia who arrived in Hungary on 8 June. The Grand Chancellor and Semjén reaffirmed that the Order of Malta had only provided humanitarian aid to the 11 persons in form of lodging, food and medical care strictly in line with its principles. According to the principles, humanitarian aid must be provided to all those in need, irrespective of their nationality, political or religious beliefs and gender, the statement said.

It said that the 11 persons were never subject to any restrictive measures whatsoever during their stay in Hungary. Semjén expressed on behalf of the Hungarian government gratitude to the Order of Malta for the humanitarian aid it has been providing to thousands of Ukrainian refugees in Hungary, said the statement.