At the initiative of Macedonia, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov held a telephone meeting on Thursday morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade informed Hungarian news agency MTI.

According to the statement, during the conversation Mr. Szijjártó said that the request for asylum submitted by former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski is a legal issue, not a political one. The Hungarian authority with the power to decide on the asylum application is acting in full accordance with the related international laws.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister confirmed that “Macedonia can continue to count on Hungary’s firm support during the course of European and Trans-Atlantic integration processes”, the Ministry stated.

Nikola Gruevski was Prime Minster of Macedonia from 2006 to 2016, and an arrest warrant was issued against him this week for not beginning a two-year term in prison to which he was sentenced for abuse of office. On Tuesday, the former head of government posted on his Facebook page that he is in Budapest and has requested asylum from the Hungarian authorities.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)