Poland's ambassador to Hungary officially ends his term, MFA announces
The Polish ambassador to Hungary, Sebastian Keciek, ended his service on July 15, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on Thursday, citing the political asylum that Budapest granted to a Polish politician now wanted under a European Arrest Warrant (EAW).
Poland's diplomatic representation in Hungary is now headed by a chargé d’affaires, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski said at a press conference in Warsaw.
This announcement follows a post issued by the state secretary at the Hungarian foreign ministry, Levente Magyar, on Facebook on Wednesday, reading: "Poland has ultimately withdrawn its ambassador to Hungary, officially downgrading the level of bilateral diplomatic relations."
Magyar added that the situation is "transitional" and will not shatter the "historic friendship between Hungarians and Poles."
"Despite the current political disputes, we are ready to maintain dialogue while preparing for better times ahead in the alliance between our countries," Magyar added in closing.
According to Wronski, there is still no clarity on how the situation regarding the future diplomatic appointment will unfold.
Speaking of what triggered the action, Wronski recalled that Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski summoned Keciek for "indefinite consultations in Warsaw" in December 2024 after Budapest granted asylum to former Polish deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski. A member of the largest opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS), Romanowski is a suspect in the probe into the misuse of public money from a ministry fund during PiS's time in power. The District Court in Warsaw agreed to his arrest and later, at the request of the prosecutor's office, issued an EAW for him. Shortly after Hungary offered him asylum.
"The reason for recalling Ambassador Sebastian Keciek to Warsaw has not changed: Hungary made an unfriendly move toward Poland that violated the principle of loyalty within the EU by granting political asylum to former deputy Justice Minister Romanowski, who has been indicted for criminal and financial offences," Wronski said.
Later on Thursday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a press conference that Budapest never interferes with other states' decisions regarding their diplomatic missions.
Nevertheless, he said that "Hungary, despite its political disputes, has a vested interest in maintaining good relations with Poland," and added that the current authorities in Warsaw did not seem to reciprocate this sentiment.
"We believe that cooperation between the two countries should extend beyond our perspectives on the war (in Ukraine - PAP), but the Polish government is apparently unable to look beyond that," Szijjarto further said. (PAP)
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