Warsaw is strategic partner for Budapest: Hungarian FM

Poland and Hungary are allies in the European Union. Both countries have been critical of Brussels’ policies on issues such as migration.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in 2017 vowed his country would block any move by the European Union to punish Poland over sweeping changes to its judiciary.

However, Warsaw and Budapest differ over Russia, which Poland sees as a threat.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said last month that Russia poses a “challenge” to Poland, the EU and NATO.

He also warned that Russia was fuelling regional instability.

In an interview with public broadcaster Polish Radio that was to be aired in full on Tuesday evening, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said: “We have a different history, a different geographic position … it’s natural that there are some issues where we have a different approach.”

Szijjártó said Hungary was “extremely fed up” with being accused of forging too close relations with Russia.

He added: “If you look at the cooperation between Western European countries and Russia … we could envy that. Above the surface there’s a verbal fight, obviously, but under the surface, behind the scenes, Western European companies [do] enormous, enormous business with Russia and Russian companies.”

Polish Radio’s IAR news agency noted that Hungary does not want to block the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, an energy project that is opposed by Poland.

(pk/gs)

Source: IAR