Relations between Warsaw and Budapest deteriorated further last month after fugitive Polish MP Marcin Romanowski was granted asylum in Hungary.
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Poland withdrew its invitation to the Hungarian ambassador to the EU Council presidency inauguration gala in Warsaw on Friday following a diplomatic row over political asylum.
Last month, Budapest has indeed granted political asylum to the former Polish Deputy Minister of Justice, Marcin Romanowski, provoking the anger of Warsaw, which described this decision as“hostile acts”.
A member of the nationalist opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, Marcin Romanowski faces 11 charges from Polish prosecutors for embezzling public funds and a Warsaw court last month issued a warrant for his arrest. European judgment against him.
Last week, Poland said it would sue Hungary in the European Court of Justice if it did not comply with the mandate.
The incident is the latest blow to relations between the two countries, which were previously strong due to their shared views on immigration and the Union, but deteriorated following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022.
Viktor Orbán also persona non grata
Poland succeeds Hungary at the head of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and in kicks things off by hosting an event at the Warsaw Grand Theater on Friday.
“When we invited guests to our gala almost a month ago, we invited the entire diplomatic corps”explained Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, Polish Deputy Minister of European Affairs, in an interview with the Polish public news channel TVP Info.
“But after the situation with Minister Marcin Romanowski, Minister (Foreign Affairs) Radosław Sikorski decided that the Hungarian ambassador was not welcome in the theater today”she adds.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is also not invited to the ceremonyprécise Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka.
Opposition between Warsaw and Budapest over Ukraine
Since Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his centrist coalition took power in December 2023, ties with Hungary have deteriorated.
Warsaw – a loyal ally of Kyiv – has publicly criticized Budapest for its relations with Moscow, while Viktor Orbán accused Poland of hypocrisy for its stance on the Russian invasionclaiming that the government of Donald Tusk considered the Hungarians as enemies.
Another point of contention has been Poland’s pro-EU stance under Donald Tusk in the face of rising anti-EU rhetoric and threats from his Hungarian counterpart.
During the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Viktor Orbán has repeatedly opposed EU sanctions against Russia and made a highly criticized visit to Moscowwhere he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of what he called a “peace mission.”
The Hungarian prime minister was also criticized by the European Parliament for meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing shortly afterwards.
During its second six-month term as head of the EU Council, Poland will focus on strengthening security and defense under the slogan “Security, Europe”, Warsaw said.
