Szijjártó reacts to Clinton's critique of PM

History

Hungarian Foreign Minister designate Péter Szijjártó said Saturday that former U.S. President Bill Clinton "was conned" by unreliable sources when criticizing the Hungarian prime minister last week. According to Szijjártó, Clinton should have talked to American business owners running businesses in Hungary to find out the real situation in this country.

Clinton said Hungary’s Prime Minister wants to remain in power forever during a Thursday appearance on "The Daily Show", a popular American TV news and satire programClinton said there are three common government models in the world today: the entrepreneurial non-governmental model, the democratic model and authoritarian capitalism. Clinton cited the Hungarian prime minister's recent remarks about building an authoritarian capitalist model in the country. “He is just saying that he does not want ever to leave power. Usually those guys want to stay forever and make money," Clinton added.

The remarks came the same day that another American, Kate Byrnes, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), released a statement expressing her concern about the intimidation of civil society and the free press in Hungary.

Earlier this year, the Hungarian government started legal investigations against organizers and beneficiaries of Norway Grants, stating that Norway-funded NGOs were helping opposition groups to gain power.

Byrnes noted that, on September 8, Hungary’s National Bureau of Investigation initiated a series of police raids on two NGOs involved in the EEA-Norway NGO grant program in Hungary. During the raids, all the organization’s documents and computers were seized by the police officers.

According to Byrnes, the police raids demonstrate that Hungarian government intends to suppress NGOs that are critical of the government and to restrict the freedoms of civil society.

MNB Business Confidence Index Slips in March MNB

MNB Business Confidence Index Slips in March

Chinese President to Visit Budapest in May Visits

Chinese President to Visit Budapest in May

Richter Shareholders Approve HUF 423/Share Dividend Pharma

Richter Shareholders Approve HUF 423/Share Dividend

Liz & Chain Rooftop Bar Debuts Sustainable Cocktails Drinks

Liz & Chain Rooftop Bar Debuts Sustainable Cocktails

SUPPORT THE BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL

Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For 27 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.
Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.