Poland has opted not to extend an invitation to Hungary‘s ambassador for an event on Friday that marks the commencement of Warsaw’s EU presidency. This decision follows Hungary’s provision of asylum to a former deputy minister currently under investigation for alleged public fund misappropriation, according to a senior official.
Additionally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was also excluded from the ceremony at Warsaw’s Grand Theatre, as stated by Deputy Minister for European Affairs Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka.
Poland expressed strong discontent after Hungary granted political asylum last month to Marcin Romanowski, a former Polish deputy justice minister who was detained last July amid the investigation into the misuse of public funds. Romanowski was swiftly released after a European rights assembly president asserted his immunity as a member of that body. He has denied the allegations against him.
“When we sent out invitations for our gala nearly a month ago, we included the entire diplomatic corps,” Sobkowiak-Czarnecka remarked in a televised statement on Friday. “However, following the situation involving Minister Romanowski, Foreign Minister Sikorski determined that the Hungarian ambassador would not be a welcome guest at the theatre today.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, were scheduled to deliver speeches at the ceremony that inaugurates Poland’s six-month presidency of the European Union, a role that rotates among member states.
Hungary assumed the presidency in the latter half of 2024. Tusk has expressed criticism towards Orban regarding various matters, including his position on the Ukraine conflict and policies that Poland views as favoring Russia. In response, Orban has stated in Hungarian media that Tusk’s administration perceives Hungarians as adversaries.
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