Relations between the European Union and Hungary are worsening. The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell reminded Viktor Orban, present at the summit of the Organization of Turkic States, on Saturday that he represented Hungary and not the European Union, of which his country has held the rotating presidency since July 1 . After Belgium, Hungary takes the helm in a particularly stormy context. The last European elections gave a large place to nationalist and conservative parties. A configuration which should push European institutions into a standoff with Eurosceptic governments.
“Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s participation in the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha on July 5-6 took place exclusively within the framework of bilateral relations between Hungary and this organization,” Borrell said in a statement. communicated. This warning comes after a visit to Moscow by Viktor Orban – whose country has held the rotating presidency of the EU since July 1 – which caused an outcry in Brussels.
Irony of Victor Orban
“Are we allowed to have dinner or do we also need a mandate from the European Council for that?”, Mr. Orban’s political director immediately quipped on X. The Organization of Turkic States is an international organization bringing together Turkic-speaking states, founded as the Turkic Council in 2009 by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. Hungary became an observer state in 2018.
The EU rejected Turkey’s declarations in 2022 on the accession of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an observer member of the organization.
“The European Union rejects attempts by the Organization of Turkic States to legitimize the Turkish Cypriot secessionist entity, the so-called ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’, not recognized internationally, as an observer” within of the organization, Mr. Borrell reiterated on Saturday.
EU: a contested Hungarian presidency
Viktor Orban’s country took the helm of the Council of the European Union for six months on Monday and promised, in the face of fears in Brussels, to act with “impartiality”.
Anti-democratic excesses and links with the Kremlin despite the Russian offensive in Ukraine: the Hungarian presidency is causing unease within the European Parliament and among several member states, at a time when France is also worrying, with an extreme right at the gates of power.
In Brussels, however, the mood was “joyful” on Monday, in the words of the Hungarian Prime Minister, all smiles after the handover ceremony with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. “Everyone is delighted that it is our turn to make Europe great again” (Make Europe Great Again), he wrote on X, taking up the decried Trumpian slogan chosen by Budapest.
The Orban government said it was ready to assume “the obligations and responsibilities” of its mission which runs until December. “We will act as an impartial mediator,” said European Affairs Minister Janos Boka.
This article is originally published on .latribune.fr
