„The only difference is that from now on, Hungarian taxpayers will no longer pay Peter Szijjarto for the same ‘work’ – his real employer will do that,“ wrote Prime Minister Peter Magyar on the platform „X“.
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P. Magyar, who won the elections in April, defeating the long-time nationalist leader Viktor Orban, said that P. Szijjarto „had long been accused of serving foreign interests“ and now joins „a Chinese company to which he previously secured large Hungarian state subsidies“.
„Looking back, it may now be obvious… whose interests the former foreign minister… actually served, related to investments worth several trillion forints in battery production and the automotive industry,“ wrote P. Magyar, quoted by „TVP World“.
P. Szijjarto, who served as Hungary’s foreign minister for almost 12 years in V. Orban’s government and has been a member of parliament since 2002, said he accepted a „very prestigious offer“ from the company BYD to become a manager responsible for the external relations and other areas of this Chinese group.
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His departure coincides with Hungary becoming a key location for Chinese investments in electric cars and batteries in Europe, and the previous V. Orban government offered generous incentives to attract manufacturers, including BYD.
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The company is expected to start production at its new factory in southern Hungary by the end of this year, which is its main production center in Europe.
Magyar also attacked V. Orban’s party „Fidesz“ in his message, claiming that high-ranking party officials „are leaving the sinking ship one after another,“ and predicting that the party is on the path to „political extinction.“
P. Szijjarto, who served as foreign minister from 2014 until earlier this year, was one of V. Orban’s closest allies and a key proponent of closer economic ties with China, while also – although this caused controversial assessments – maintaining relations with Russia despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
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