The new prime minister of Hungary expressed his intention to restore his country’s position as a reliable partner within it. For his part, the chancellor pledged to support this effort, however, asking the Hungarian side to become more cooperative in its matter.
In the two leaders’ first official meeting at the chancellery, Chancellor Friedrich Merz assured new Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar of his full support for his country’s return “to the heart of Europe”, hailing his election victory over Viktor Orban as “an inspiration for all of Europe” and a “clear message against populism worldwide”. Merz also expressed his desire to help “ensure that this new beginning in Hungary is successful”, but at the same time called on Mr Magyar to support the EU’s collective policy towards Ukraine, charting a different course from that of his predecessor.
What they said about the burning issues
Magyar, for his part, pledged that Hungary would henceforth be an “honest and reliable partner” within the EU. “Of course we will not always agree, but we will not veto solely for reasons of principle,” he assured, although he reiterated that his country would continue to refrain from sending weapons or troops to Ukraine and that it intends to block the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine as long as its rights remain limited. Hungarian minority in the country. “However, I expect an agreement on this issue soon. We are ready to turn the page on Hungary-Ukraine relations,” he said. Mr. Mertz, for his part, stressed that although bilateral issues must be resolved, they must not delay the accession negotiations.
The Hungarian prime minister also sharply criticized his country’s president, Tamas Suliok, whom he described as “Orban’s puppet”, arguing that in the two years since he took office, he has failed to fulfill his duties as head of state. “He sat idle while Orbán sold our country and turned Hungary into the most corrupt state in the EU,” he said. As he said, Mr. Magyar nevertheless intends to remove Viktor Orbán’s loyalists from high positions as soon as possible, as long as the wave of euphoria that accompanied his election remains relatively strong. In that vein, he had also called on Mr. Suliok to step down by May 31, threatening him with removal from office through a constitutional amendment.
