BUDAPEST, August 21. /TASS/. Hungarian authorities have responded to the European Commission's request for visa facilitation for Russian and Belarusian citizens, pointing out that they comply with EU rules and security requirements, European Union Affairs Minister Janos Boka said.
"The National card will be issued [to Russians and Belarusians] in accordance with the relevant EU framework and with due consideration of the possible security risks involved," he said in a letter to the European Commission posted on his X page. "The Hungarian legislation and practice, which the Commission has not objected to so far, has not changed," Budapest pointed out.
Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet reported, citing the full text of the letter, that the country's interior minister, Sandor Pinter, said that the vetting process for Russian and Belarusian citizens "will remain strict and unchanged."
On August 2, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson reported that the European Commission has officially requested clarification from Hungary regarding the inclusion of Russians and Belarusians in the program of simplified long-term visas. At the same time, she pointed out that she considered Russia "a security threat" and called on EU countries to be "more vigilant" about Russians entering EU countries, whom she called "potential spies and saboteurs."
On August 18, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that the issuance of national cards (two-year visas) to citizens of Russia and Belarus does not pose any security threats to the Schengen countries. The top diplomat added that all statements to the contrary, heard from the mouths of "colleagues from Northern Europe and the Baltic States, blinded by military propaganda, are pure lies."
Earlier, several European media, including the Financial Times, reported that Hungary had decided to relax the requirements for long-term visas, including for citizens of Russia and Belarus.