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Hungarian minister called Slovak foreign minister insane
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Hungarian-Slovak relations have been made “difficult” as a caretaker government is in office in Bratislava, Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, said. The Slovak foreign minister should take the advice of Zsolt Németh, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, and “see a doctor about his personal problems”, he added. Gulyás also said that the Slovak government consists many parties and, in such cases, they saw even Hungarians examples when fools acquired the top jobs. However, the majority of the Slovakian government does not share the views of their top diplomat about Hungary, he added.
In spite of growing international pressure on Hungary with regard to its stand on the war in Ukraine, the government’s position is unchanged: Hungary must stay out of the war, he said at a regular press briefing on Saturday.
As the tenth package of sanctions against Russia comes up for approval by the Council of the European Union and the war enters its second year, the situation must be assessed, Gulyás said. Europe is “drifting in the direction of war” and international pressure is growing on Hungary to change its position on issues on which it took decisions based on clear principles in the past year, he added.
Hungary’s interest remains unchanged: the country must stay out of the war, he said. That stand was decided by Hungarians in last year’s election, while opposition to sanctions was confirmed in a National Consultation survey, he said. Hungary continues to refuse to deliver weapons, and it calls for a ceasefire and peace talks as soon as possible, while helping refugees, Gulyás said. Gulyas said the government’s position remains that the responsibility for the war lies with Russia which violated international law and committed the aggression. Hungary is helping Ukraine financially, by humanitarian means and makes every effort to ensure that the ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine are affected as little as possible by the tragic situation, he added.
The government is convinced that there will be only losers in the war, nobody can win, and the longer the war lasts, the more human lives will be lost, while inconceivable damage is caused to the built and natural environment, Gulyás said. If Europe becomes involved in the war and NATO members participate in the conflict, it will bring the risk of World War III, so every effort must be made to prevent the escalation of the war, he added.
He said several “sober voices” had been heard in recent weeks: the Hungarian president met her US counterpart, along with eight other heads of state, and the Chinese proposed a peace plan. He also said that the latest employment data show 46,000 more people are working in Hungary today than a year ago, evidence of the strength of the economy even amid the high energy prices.
The effects of the sanctions on energy prices have been dramatic, Gulyás said, adding that this impacted food and services prices the most. Families and pensioners continue to be protected by utility price caps which the government will maintain, up to average consumption, throughout this year, he added. Companies are getting help with a plant rescue scheme and investment promotion support, he said.
The fiscal balance must be maintained and the government is committed to keeping the 3.9 percent deficit target, he said. Hungary is among the few countries in the European Union that succeeded in reducing the deficit in the elections years of 2014, 2018 and 2022, he added. Energy companies, banks, multinational retailers and pharmaceutical companies have benefited from higher energy prices and must make a bigger contribution to the budget, so they must pay a windfall profit tax this year, too, Gulyás said. The government is ready to negotiate with those companies on how they will pay the tax, but it must be paid, he added.
On another subject, he said a recent case put the issue of child protection in focus. When a teaching assistant abuses his position and students’ trust, it is “unacceptable and intolerable”, he added. When he boasts about this on social media, it is “pathological and nauseating”, he added. “Someone acting this way with a 14-15 year-old is clearly a paedophile and must be treated as one”, he said. He said rules on child protection must be reviewed. The interior minister has instructed authorities to conduct expedited, comprehensive and thorough probes in all such instances, he added.
The review of legal and criminal regulations, as well as the tightening of rules on child protection is the task of the government and the ruling parties’ parliamentary groups, he said. The number of child pornography cases has increased in recent years, except for a slight drop in 2022, he said. The matter of protecting children is among the “most important issues”, he said, adding that a referendum on the matter that coincided with the elections in the spring had garnered more support than any other issue, political topic or political party since 1989.
Asked what kind of international response the government expects from amendments to the child protection act, Gulyás said he expected common sense to be “the stronger side” on the matter in Brussels. If not, the physical and mental health of children must still be protected, he added.
Fielding questions on a political declaration lawmakers of ruling Fidesz-KDNP are submitting to parliament on their position on the war, Gulyás said he wouldn’t give up hope that opposition MPs would also back the resolution, but also noted they had supported delivery of weapons, till now.