Conflict escalates, EU boycotts meeting of Hungarian presidency

Brussels [Belgium], July 23: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell announced on July 22 that he would convene an informal meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers in Brussels (Belgium) after the summer break, according to Reuters.
The meeting was originally scheduled for late August in the Hungarian capital Budapest, which holds the rotating EU presidency from July 1.
At the EU foreign ministers' meeting on July 22, the last meeting before the summer break, Mr. Borrell said EU members strongly criticized " Hungary 's lack of sincerity and cooperation."
The rotating EU presidency lasts for six months. Since taking over, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has made spontaneous trips to Russia and China, which he calls " peace missions", and met with US presidential candidate Donald Trump. EU member states have been angered by the move, saying Hungary does not represent the bloc on the international stage. Mr Orban has also written articles criticising the EU's policy on the Ukraine conflict as "pro-war".
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said: "Many voices are against Hungary speaking in Beijing, Moscow or to Donald Trump as if it were representing the EU."
According to Mr Sikorski, the president is the spokesperson for the EU's agreed position, not representing national interests. "If everyone else behaved that way, the union would never have been formed and probably would not survive," the diplomat said.
Many diplomats strongly condemned Hungary's stance when they met Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto at the conference on July 22.
"Peter Szijjarto said that Hungary faced aggressive war hysteria for its peace mission at the EU foreign affairs council meeting in Brussels," Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said, citing Foreign Minister Szijjarto as saying that the meeting convened by Borrell was childish.
According to The Guardian, EU meetings usually take place in Brussels or Luxembourg, but the chair country often holds informal ministerial meetings on its own territory. The host country has the opportunity to introduce its country, outline the agenda and highlight issues of concern to it.
Mr Borrell decided to hold the meeting in Brussels after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU commissioners would not travel to Hungary for informal meetings, a move seen as a response to Mr Orban's spontaneous diplomatic action.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper