BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary’s foreign minister paid a visit to Minsk on Monday to keep “channels of communication open” as a group of 35 countries demanded that Russian and Belarusian athletes be banned from the 2024 Olympics.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a post on his Facebook page that during his talks in Belarus he would represent the Hungarian stance of trying to achieve peace in Ukraine.
“Obviously many will attack me for this visit, but our stance is clear: channels of communication must be kept open,” Szijjarto said, posting photos of his visit. “If we had not done this, I would not be able to convey the message of a call for peace.”
The Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland have called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics, as the war continues to rage in Ukraine.
The Hungarian Olympics committee did not reply to Reuters questions sent on Friday.
Poland has been a key refuge for opponents of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Warsaw has become one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since Belarus’ main ally, Russia, invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said Hungary wanted to stay out of the war, while an independent and sovereign Ukraine was in Hungary’s national interest.
Orban has repeatedly urged a ceasefire and peace talks to end the war and said Hungary would not ship weapons to Ukraine.
Orban has also been a vocal critic of the European Union’s sanctions against Russia, saying they damage European economies, but Budapest has supported the measures so far.
At the same time, the Hungarian premier, in power since 2010, has said Hungary was “trying to salvage whatever can be salvaged from economic cooperation with Russia.” Hungary is reliant on Russian gas and oil, and has a contract with Rosatom for a nuclear power plant.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Toby Chopra and Sharon Singleton)
