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Israeli PM Netanyahu may come to visit Hungary despite arrest warrant
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Hungary’s invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau still stands, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday, calling the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu a “politically-motivated decision”.
The ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu “has discredited the court”, Szijjártó told a joint press conference with Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, according to a ministry statement. “These kinds of decisions obviously also impact Hungary’s ideas and plans for cooperation with the court in the future,” Szijjártó said in response to a question. “Once there is a specific decision on this, we will, of course, inform the public,” he added.
Concerning the war in Ukraine, Szijjártó said Hungary’s interest lay in a diplomatic settlement to the conflict, but this required keeping communication channels open. “To put it simply, we have to talk to each other,” the minister said, adding that he hoped that the inauguration of the new US president and his plans will enable direct talks between the US and Russian presidents.
“If there is direct contact between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, it will give us great hope that the war next door that’s been going on for three years can finally end,” Szijjártó said. “A diplomatic solution is needed; there’s no solution on the battlefield,” he said. “If those who prefer a solution on the battlefield prevailed, it would only lead to more destruction, more death, more suffering and a greater-than-ever risk of a world war.”
Ukraine’s decision to halt the transit of Russian gas unacceptable
As regards gas imports, the minister said Hungary refused to relinquish its sovereign right to determine where and how it buys energy. He slammed Ukraine’s decision to halt the transit of Russian gas through its territory as “unacceptable”, saying it threatened the region’s energy security. “A European Union candidate country causing energy supply challenges for EU members is unacceptable.”
Szijjártó said Hungary and Slovakia have increased the capacity of their gas interconnector by 900 million cubic metres in the interest of boosting Slovakia’s energy security. He also noted that Hungary received 7.6 billion cubic metres of gas via the TurkStream pipeline last year, which left about 900 million cubic metres of free capacity through that delivery route.
Meanwhile, he said he hoped that the government could soon announce “positive developments” when it comes to “resolving the situation that has arisen as a result of the personal revenge of the frustrated, failed, and disgraced ambassador of the failed US administration”, adding that they had already taken legal and political steps in the matter.
Full implementation of Gaza ceasefire in Hungary’s interest
The implementation of the ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, an important factor to improving worldwide security, is important for Hungary, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Budapest on Thursday, after talks with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar.
According to a ministry statement, Peter Szijjarto told a joint press conference with Sa’ar that events in the Middle East had a serious impact on global security, and welcomed the agreement on a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Although most Hungarians are not anti-Semitic, his arrival would pose a security threat to Budapest
Hungarians are neither cowards nor inept in protecting a foreign leader. P.M. Netanyahu is a great example of what a leader should be. All Jewish people, including the Israeli Prime Minister should be welcomed with open arms. Israel like Hungary is fighting for survival; Israel is fighting Arab middle eastern terrorists supported by Yemen, Iran and possibly Lebanon and Hungary is fighting for survival under EU dictatorship.