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“Hungary is again at the negotiating table, constructively and proactively promoting national interests,” Orbán said.
Orbán said she had recalled 34 of Hungary’s 138 ambassadors, adding that most of their successors had already been appointed. She said the diplomats were replaced because of a “loss of political or professional credibility,” adding that some had “not necessarily served the Hungarian interest only” or were “not suited for their post.”
She also said it was not desirable for ambassadors to remain in the same post for too long, and that the government was planning a “4+1-year” rotation system.
Among the new appointments, historian Balázs Ablonczy will serve as ambassador to France, historian and Poland expert Miklós Mitrovits will be posted to Warsaw, and China expert Tamás Hajba will be assigned to Beijing.
Orbán said the appointees had been selected with a focus on promoting Hungary’s interests, including “the life, welfare, development and security of the Hungarian people, the prosperity and security of Hungarian business, and Hungary’s security and reputation.”
As part of a wider vetting program at the ministry, around 1,400 diplomatic passports have been withdrawn because of irregularities, she said, while unauthorized individuals have also lost access to the government lounge at the airport.
Orbán said ministry staff had reviewed around 100,000 documents and that “some cases are expected to be made public in the near future.” She said the disputed procurement of ventilators during the coronavirus crisis could be among them.
She also said former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s move to a senior position at China’s BYD soon after the election raised “moral and national security concerns.”
On relations with Russia and Ukraine, Orbán said the government had not yet contacted Russia directly, although “diplomatic relations are working.”
“It is our task to provide energy to Hungarian citizens and businesses as cheaply as possible,” she said.
On Ukraine, Orbán pointed to government talks aimed at restoring the educational, cultural and political rights of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia. She said a meeting between the prime minister and the Ukrainian president would take place “when we feel that one is timely.”
Regarding Chinese investment in Hungary, Orbán said “each investor must observe the same rules, wherever they may come from and whether the rules in question are environmental, labor, health or security regulations.”
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