The leader of the Tisa party, which won the parliamentary elections in Hungary, and future Prime Minister Peter Magyar commented on the state of Hungarian-Georgian relations.
Responding to a question from a Georgian journalist, Magyar stated that he intends to develop relations with Georgia, expressed readiness to visit Tbilisi, and emphasized that Hungary will not interfere in the internal affairs of other states.
On April 13, the day after Tisa’s victory and the defeat of Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, during a three-hour press conference, a representative of the Rustavi 2 TV channel asked Magyar a question:
“Given the long-standing friendship between Georgia and Hungary, reinforced by a strategic partnership, what should we expect from you? Will you continue relations with Georgia, and will cooperation with the Georgian government become closer?”
In response, Magyar spoke both about relations with Georgia and ties with several Balkan countries:
“Yes, of course, we will continue good relations with Georgia.”
“In general, I would say the following: the fact that Viktor Orbán’s government had close ties with a particular country — in the Balkans or elsewhere — does not mean that Hungary will have worse relations with that country. And where relations were poor, we will improve them — because it is in our common interest to work together, cooperate, and achieve success jointly.”
“I would be glad to visit you in Tbilisi or anywhere else and look forward to working together.”
“However, we will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. We will not try to influence elections — neither in your country, nor in North Macedonia, nor anywhere else. This is not our style and is not the business of any European government. Everyone is elected to represent the electorate of their own country.”
According to the results of the elections held on April 12, the center-right Tisa party will receive a constitutional majority in the new Hungarian parliament.