Hungary summons envoy of fellow NATO state

Budapest has objected to Sweden’s criticism of PM Viktor Orban’s decision to congratulate the winning party in the recent Georgian election

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry has summoned Swedish ambassador Diana Madunic after the Nordic nation’s prime minister criticized his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, for voicing support for the winning party in Georgia’s general election.

According to the Central Electoral Commission in the South Caucasus country, the ruling Georgian Dream party, which says it seeks to build pragmatic relations with all neighbors, including Russia, secured 54% of the vote last Saturday. Pro-Western opposition parties, along with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, have refused to recognize the results, accusing Georgian Dream of election rigging.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has reported that it observed no systemic voting irregularities during the election, but did note some instances of vote-buying and pressure on public sector employees. The US and a number of EU member states have called for an investigation into the alleged violations.

On Wednesday, Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson told TT news agency that Orban, who visited Georgia in the wake of the contested election, did not speak for Europe, but “possibly speaks for Russia.”

Appearing on Hungary’s М1 TV channel on Wednesday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto responded, calling it “beyond the pale” for another country, particularly a NATO ally, to “call into question whose position and interests the Hungarian prime minister represents.”

The diplomat insisted that all members of the Hungarian government, including Orban, invariably stand for Budapest’s own interests.

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Critics have routinely accused the Georgian Dream party of being pro-Russian, with similar allegations repeatedly leveled at the Hungarian prime minister. Both have denied these claims.

Orban was among the first leaders to congratulate the Georgian Dream party on winning the election, even before the final results came in.

The leader, who currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, also became the first foreign leader to visit Georgia following the vote.

In a speech in Tbilisi on Tuesday, he said that the Georgian people “made a decision” and “voted for peace.”

“The government of Georgia, while enforcing pro-European politics, did not allow their country to become a second Ukraine,” he added.

Meanwhile, on Monday, 13 EU member states, including Germany and France, issued a joint statement, lambasting Orban’s “premature visit to Georgia,” and saying that the Hungarian prime minister “does not speak on behalf of the EU.”