Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala reacted with criticism today to statements made by his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban during a speech at the 32nd Summer University in Baile Tusnad in Romanian Transylvania.
In the previous day’s speech, the right-wing Hungarian prime minister accused the Czech Republic of essentially siding with the European federalists, who had launched an attack on the Visegrad Four (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia – note). Slovakia “would still falter”, only Poland and Hungary would resist.
“Absurd Claims”
Fiala said: “We decide independently what we want to initiate, support or what we want to change in the European Union.” Orban was used to something else, as Andrej Babis, his predecessor as Czech prime minister, depended on Orban for his European policy.
In that sense, Orbán’s frustration is understandable, Fiala emphasized. “Absurd accusations” would certainly not serve the necessary cooperation of Central European countries.
In Romania itself, Orban’s speech caused bilateral discontent. He mocked Romania’s government and political system in front of representatives of the Hungarian minority. Romanians later accused him of behaving “like an extremist leader and not like a leader of the state”.