Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has summoned the Swedish Ambassador with relation to recent statements in criticism of Hungary by several Swedish ministers.

On Wednesday, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström wrote on Twitter: “Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Matteo Salvini in Italy want to form an alliance against the democrats and the left in Europe”.

Speaking at a seminar on EU issues in southern Sweden, Swedish Migration Minister Heléne Fritzon criticised Hungary’s refugee policy, explaining that at a meeting of EU ministers she had reminded her Hungarian counterpart about 1956, when Sweden had gladly received Hungarian refugees. According to the Swedish Minister, Hungary should be expected to undertake a similar responsibility within the EU’s joint refugee policy.

“The pro-immigration Swedish Government has launched yet another attack against Hungary”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Thursday.

“Margot Wallström claimed that Viktor Orbán and Matteo Salvini are fighting against the democrats, i.e. against democracy, which is a lie. Viktor Orbán and Matteo Salvini were very clear: they are fighting against illegal immigration”, he pointed out, adding: “Viktor Orbán and Matteo Salvini are representing the will of the European people in view of the fact that they do not want illegal immigration”.

The Swedish Migration Minister drew a parallel between the Hungarian refugees of 1956 and illegal immigrants, Mr. Szijjártó pointed out.

“Anyone who does so is falsifying history”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said.

“In 1956, the Hungarian refugees waited in neighbouring countries for a state to receive them, while conforming to national and international law”, he explained.

In contrast, illegal immigrants “gallop across a host of safe countries, break the law and represent a danger to our security”, he underlined.

“In addition, Sweden has interfered in the ongoing court case between Brussels and Hungary, in which Brussels and the Swedish Government are attacking Hungary for expecting foreign-financed, pro-immigration organisations to operate transparently”, the Foreign Minister stressed.

Sweden’s Ambassador to Budapest, Niclas Trouvé, recently stated that he “expects Hungary to lose the case, meaning he has clearly taken the side of the Soros organisations”, the Minister said, adding that for the abovementioned reasons on Thursday the Ambassador was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)