File photo of Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó
In an opinion piece for the Swiss news website Globalbridge, former Czech Deputy-Foreign Minister Petr Drulák calls allegations against Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó published in the Washington Post “demented”. In the foreign expert’s view a number of “allied” foreign intelligence services could have had a motif in the wiretapping scandal in order to interfere with the upcoming Hungarian parliamentary elections, but the left-wing Polish government could have had the strongest vested interest in discrediting the Hungarian government.
In their revelation of the wiretapped messages between the Hungarian and Russian foreign ministers, American daily “The Washington Post” went as far as claiming that Péter Szijjártó poses a security threat to Europe. Apparently, he regularly calls his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to brief him on the progress of negotiations in Brussels. We do not need to know exactly what Szijjártó and Lavrov discuss on the phone to see the obvious absurdity of this information, points out Mr. Drulák. That, however, does not necessarily diminish its political effectiveness. Moreover, this is not merely an attack on Szijjártó and Hungary, but on diplomatic communication as such.
According to journalists, the Hungarian minister allegedly committed these leaks during regular meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council. “This is utter nonsense. I have participated in these meetings repeatedly in the past. They take place in a single large room where ministers from EU member states meet with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy around a round table. … In other words, these meetings are not intended for the exchange of any sensitive information; everyone knows this, and everyone approaches them accordingly”, points out the former Czech diplomat. The idea that Russia is obtaining classified Brussels information because a Hungarian minister is calling his Russian counterpart from a Council meeting is therefore “demented”.
In Petr Drulák’s view,
the real scandal is not what has been said between Lavrov and Szijjártó, but the fact that “someone is tapping his cell phone and passing the information to journalists to influence the elections”. And the most likely culprit is an “allied” intelligence service.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (right) with his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski (left). Photo: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter
It cannot be ruled out that Poland is playing a significant role in the scandal. Polish Prime Minister Tusk and his Foreign Minister Sikorski are among Hungary’s harshest critics. And they immediately reacted to the scandal with a public condemnation not only of Szijjártó but of Orbán’s politicians in general. Minister Sikorski and his wife Anne Applebaum, a former contributor to the Washington Post, may also be acting out of ideological conviction. They are among the stars of the neoconservative international, which is today united by hatred of Russia. In the eyes of such people, Orbán is the devil’s helper, writes Peter Drulák.
In the Czech former diplomat’s view, rogue elements of the U.S. intelligence services could also have played a role. The Washington Post has long been a mouthpiece for the American deep state. It regularly works with controlled leaks from U.S. intelligence agencies. In Drulák’s view, if President Trump were able to get his house in order, it would have tangible benefits benefit for Prime Minister Orbán.
Prof. Petr Drulák. Photo: Hungary Today
However, the attack on the Hungarian minister extends beyond Hungary’s borders. The architects of the scandal attacked diplomatic communication itself. Its fundamental characteristic is confidentiality. Among other things, it allows a diplomat to share information with a counterpart that he or she cannot publicly acknowledge, as it would place either the diplomat or a third party in a difficult situation. Without confidentiality, there is no trust, and thus no diplomacy.
In Prof. Drulák’s opinion, further revelations from phone hacking could surface in the coming days, which by their very nature will be incriminating for those involved. Then this will be a punishment for merely conducting diplomacy as such.
For a craft that the West has desperately failed to master in recent decades and in which Orbán’s Hungary performs better than anyone else in Europe,”
concludes his essay Petr Drulák.
Via Globalbridge.ch. Featured Image: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter
