Top diplomat urges US to treat Hungary as sovereign country

Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade  Minister Péter Szijjártó has urged the US to treat Hungary as a sovereign country, building relationships based on mutual respect, rather than as a colony.

Szijjártó made the comments in response to US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman's remarks about US sanctions on three officials of the Russian-controlled International Investment Bank (IIB), which is located in Budapest, according to Gazeta.ru.

“We are a country and we urge you to treat us as a country rather than as a colony,” the minister stressed.

Szijjártó wonders why Washington cannot take into account Budapest’s position on the situation in Ukraine.

“We adhere to our peaceful position. We understand, accept and respect the fact that the US has a different attitude towards this conflict. We just do not understand why it is necessary to put pressure on others to change their point of view,” Szijjártó said.

On April 12, US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman held a press conference, where he said that three executives of the Russian-controlled International Investment Bank (IIB), headquartered in Budapest, had been subjected to US sanctions.

During the event, he said that three heads of the Russian-controlled International Investment Bank (IIB), headquartered in Budapest, fell under US sanctions.

Communications director of the ruling Fidesz party, Istvan Hollik, stressed that Hungary would not abandon its commitment to a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.