Szijjártó called Poland's refusal to invite Hungary's ambassador to EU ceremony pathetic

The Polish Foreign Ministry's decision not to invite the Hungarian ambassador to the ceremony of the start of the Polish presidency of the European Union (EU) is "pathetic and childish". This statement was made by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó on January 3.

The Hungarian ambassador was initially invited to the ceremony and even confirmed his participation. However, on January 3, it became known that Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski withdrew the invitation for the Hungarian ambassador in Warsaw. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was also not invited to the event.

"There are two competing expressions about the decision of a Polish foreign minister colleague: pathetic and childish," Hungarian publication 24 quoted Szijjártó as saying.

Poland has held the EU Council presidency for six months since Jan. 1, succeeding Hungary, and the state's inauguration ceremony took place on the evening of Jan. 3. Relations between the two countries escalated after Budapest granted political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, the former deputy head of the justice ministry, who was wanted in Poland. In July 2024, Polish authorities detained Romanowski as part of an investigation into the misuse of state funds. Warsaw, for its part, called the granting of political asylum to Romanowski hostile and recalled its ambassador from Budapest for indefinite consultations.

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Hungary begins its presidency of the EU Council on July 1, 2024. Orban has since visited Russia and Ukraine, as well as China, to discuss ways to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. In particular, on July 5, the Hungarian prime minister and his delegation visited Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

European politicians against the background of the beginning of Hungary's presidency in the Council of the EU criticized the trip of the head of the Hungarian government to the Russian Federation. On July 15, 2024, it became known that the European Commission (EC) canceled the traditional visit to the capital of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. In addition, the EC asked its commissioners not to attend informal ministerial meetings that take place during the Hungarian presidency.

In his turn, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Teofil Bartoszewski, commenting on Orban's statement about Warsaw's "hypocritical policy" towards Moscow, said that Hungary should withdraw from the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance to preserve its alliance with Russia.