On October 29, Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó in an interview with Georgia’s pro-governmental Imedi TV, expressed his government’s support for Georgian Dream’s Government and its policy, brushing away questions marks about the legitimacy of recent elections in Georgia and slamming the Western criticism of GD adopted controversial laws.
During the interview, Szijjártó stated that Hungary has faced similar allegations of undemocratic practices for the past 14 years in office. He claimed that, according to liberal standards, democracy only exists if liberal parties are in power. He urged Georgian leaders to focus on the will of their own voters rather than European Union standards or liberal viewpoints.
Szijjártó also criticized what he described as an “attacks” by EU representatives on Georgia during a June meeting of EU foreign ministers. He argued that criticism of Georgia’s laws—one “safeguarding sovereignty” and another “protecting family values”—came mainly from Scandinavian and Baltic states, and that Hungary and Slovakia were protecting the Georgian government at the meeting. He went on to question the visit of Baltic ministers to Georgia during the Agents’ law protests, who participated in what he described as an “anti-governmental” rally.
Addressing specific laws, Szijjártó said Hungary understands Georgia’s motivations, particularly in the areas of foreign influence and family values. He pointed out that Hungary, too, has legislation restricting LGBTQ+ organizations from engaging with minors on sexuality topics, reserving this exclusively for parents. He said Hungary has faced EU financial sanctions over the law, which Szijjártó said upholds “Christian values” and parental rights.
Turning to the conflict in Ukraine, Szijjártó criticized the EU’s approach of framing the war as a clash between Russia and the West, which he argued has led to “ineffective” sanctions and an over-reliance on arming Ukraine. He commended Georgia’s stance of advocating for a peaceful resolution, saying it reflects the position of a “global majority” seeking negotiations over military escalation.
On Georgia’s European integration, Szijjártó praised the country’s economic progress and suggested that Georgia could bring new energy to the EU, which he described as becoming “dull” politically and economically. He expressed support for Georgia’s EU aspirations, emphasizing that Hungary is pushing for enlargement. He pointed out that Georgia faces “unfair conditions” under the EU’s priority steps for accession, particularly in the part related to the requirement to reduce political polarization.
Finally, Szijjártó dismissed recent EU concerns over the fairness of Georgia’s elections. He called statements by EU ministers “laughable,” pointing to the OSCE/ODIHR’s assessment, which, according to him, did not claim the elections were rigged. “Questioning the legitimacy of this election is not only unfair but also degrading to democracy,” he said, noting that election violations identified by observers are common across Europe.
Following the visit to Georgia, Hungarian Foreign Minister left for Belarus to speak at the Minsk Conference on Eurasian Security. The participants of the conference include Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and Syrian FM Bassam Sabbagh.
Notebly, Hungary was the first country to congratulate Georgian Dream on its victory in the elections, right after Imedi TV’s exit poll results, and before the Central Election Commission announced the preliminary results of the elections. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his delegation visited Georgia immediately after the elections. Other European ministers emphasized that Orbán’s visit was only within the framework of bilateral relations between the two countries, while the Swedish Prime Minister even stated that his visit was not a voice for Europe, but possibly for Russia. As a result of this statement, the Swedish Ambassador to Hungary was summoned to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.
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