TBILISI – A group of European Union member states criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for what they called a “premature” visit to Georgia two days after an election that the Caucasus nation’s opposition said was rigged.
In a joint statement released on the German Foreign Ministry’s website on Oct 28, the group condemned “all violation of international norms for free and fair elections” – and said Mr Orban doesn’t speak on behalf of the 27-nation bloc. The letter was signed by ministers from 13 member states including Germany, France, Poland and the Netherlands.
Mr Orban, who holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, arrived in Tbilisi on Oct 28 and said in a post on social platform X that “Georgia is a conservative, Christian and pro-Europe state. Instead of useless lecturing, they need our support on their European path.”
On election day, he was quick to congratulate the Georgian Dream party, which claimed victory in the parliamentary contest. Votes hadn’t been counted and results were yet unavailable at the time of the post, according to a community note attached to his post on X. International observers also highlighted several shortcomings.
Mr Orban has ruffled feathers with his diplomatic freelancing. His visits with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and former US President Donald Trump have angered leaders in the EU, who have stressed that he doesn’t represent the bloc in talks over issues including Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia and the West have tussled over Georgia for more than two decades. The outcome of this weekend’s vote may decide whether the republic of 4 million presses ahead with efforts to integrate with the West or pivots back toward Moscow.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto released a video after his arrival in Tbilisi, again hailing what he claimed was a clear election win and accusing the EU’s “liberal mainstream” of attacking Georgia for policies and election results they didn’t like.
He said he expected Mr Orban and his Georgian counterpart to talk about EU integration and economic cooperation.
“Brussels had expected a different result,” Mr Szijjarto said. “Those in Brussels had rooted for the victory of liberal parties, the victory of those parties which focused less on the politics of peace, families and sovereignty.” BLOOMBERG