Poland officially recalls its ambassador to Hungary
Poland has permanently recalled its ambassador to Hungary, officially downgrading the level of bilateral diplomatic relations.
This regrettable step, which is unprecedented in the history of our relations with Central European partners, was caused by the gradual deterioration of political relations,
announced Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar on his Facebook page.
He emphasized that
the Hungarian government considers this a temporary situation that should not undermine the historical Hungarian-Polish friendship.
The recall of ambassadors in diplomacy typically signals a dramatic deterioration in relations between countries.
The escalation of tensions was triggered by the Hungarian government granting political asylum to former Polish Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski, who is under investigation in Warsaw for suspected misuse of public funds.
Following this, Poland recalled its ambassador to Budapest indefinitely in December, and in January decided not to invite Hungary's ambassador in Warsaw to the EU presidency opening ceremony. The Polish embassy in Budapest is currently led by chargé d'affaires Jacek Śladewski.
The diplomatic boycott from Warsaw has now extended to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: Polish Deputy Minister for European Affairs Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka confirmed that he was not invited to the EU presidency ceremony at the Grand Theatre, nor to the farewell event.
Sobkowiak stated in January that the Hungarian government's decision to grant asylum to Romanowski represents an open violation of Polish judicial sovereignty.
However, according to the Hungarian government, this does not mean a complete breakdown in relations: Levente Magyar personally assured the Polish chargé d'affaires in Budapest on Monday morning that Hungary is ready to maintain dialogue. As he stated: 'We must prepare for better times to come in the alliance between our countries.'
Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Getty Images
