No one is forcing Hungarians to be in the EU"

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky criticized statements by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who compared European integration to Hitler's plans for European unity.

Even Adolf Hitler dreamed of European unity and later turned to the idea of an "ever closer union," Orban said in Veszprém in western Hungary on Friday, drawing criticism from the Czech Republic.

"The current form of European cooperation has been driven by two missions: peace and prosperity. If it cannot fulfill its two original missions, what is the point of the EU?" Orban also said.

"No one is forcing Hungarians to be part of this community if they feel uncomfortable," Lipavsky said during a TV debate on Czech television.

The Hungarian prime minister's anti-European rhetoric has intensified after Brussels increased financial pressure on his country. Disputes with the union over the rule of law and corruption led Brussels to withhold more than $30 billion in aid. This has also led to speculation that Orban intends to eventually withdraw Hungary from the EU, which the government has repeatedly denied.

In late April, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky reacted harshly to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's comments about the Czech president. On Twitter, Lipavsky called his Russian counterpart a clown and said that the leadership of the terrorist Russian Federation should be brought to justice.

"The clown Lavrov's statements about our President Pavel are simply ridiculous. Russia is a terrorist state, and its leadership should be brought before an international tribunal," he said.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 16/05/2023