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Kiev seeks to influence Hungarian election to secure EU membership — Budapest official

"Ukraine is highly interested in influencing the outcome of Hungary’s elections next year, and it will clearly try to advance its interests through the Tisza party," Peter Szijjarto said

BUDAPEST, October 7. /TASS/. Ukraine seeks to influence the upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary because it would be unable to join the EU while the current government remains in power in Budapest, Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said, commenting on media reports alleging Kiev could have participated in the formation of Hungary’s Tisza opposition party.

"Ukraine is highly interested in influencing the outcome of Hungary’s elections next year, and it will clearly try to advance its interests through the Tisza party," the MTI news agency quoted the top diplomat as saying.

According to Szijjarto, who is currently in the Azerbaijani city of Gabala for a summit of the Organization of Turkic States, where Hungary is an observer, Kiev’s attempts to influence the elections and ensure the opposition’s victory are not surprising. "The Ukrainians and everyone else know that if the national government remains in power in Hungary, its decisions will be solely aligned with Hungarian interests. In such an event, Ukraine will not become a European Union member," the foreign minister stated.

According to him, "it’s absolutely clear what Ukraine’s interests are regarding Hungary's parliamentary elections and through whom they seek to act to achieve them."

Szijjarto warned that "if a puppet government is created in Hungary, obedient to Brussels, all obstacles to Ukraine’s accession to the EU will clearly be removed and the Hungarian people’s money will be sent to Ukraine, while low-quality agricultural products will flood Hungary, with the country becoming a gateway for the Ukrainian mafia." The top diplomat vowed that the current Hungarian cabinet would not allow that to happen.