OPEC raises global oil demand forecast for 2026    Saudi Pro League unveils 2025-26 fixture list with blockbuster opening clashes    Donations of living organs rise to 4.9% in Saudi Arabia in 2024    Saudi Arabia strongly condemns Israeli decision to fully occupy Gaza    Elon Musk threatens to sue Apple for not ranking X or Grok among its top apps    Ukraine's borders must not be changed by force, EU leaders say    At least 100 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza    Jellyfish force shutdown of France's Gravelines nuclear plant after clogging cooling system    More than 2,000 evacuated from Spanish resort of Tarifa over advancing wildfire    Prince Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud wins International Sword at Sandhurst    GASTAT: Nearly 70% of Saudis under age of 35    Saudi Arabia exit FIBA Asia Cup after overtime heartbreak against Philippines    Sudanese PM thanks Saudi leadership for unlimited humanitarian support    Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez announce engagement after eight years together    Bahri categorically denies transporting shipments to Israel    Saudi Arabia's ranking on Mining Investment Attractiveness Index jumps to 23rd from 104th globally    Mexico accuses Adidas of cultural appropriation in sandal design    Saudi Film Commission invites local filmmakers to submit for first-ever Oscar entry    Al Hilal sign Uruguay striker Darwin Núñez from Liverpool    Saudi woman donates 80% of her liver to co-wife in rare act of generosity    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Hungary stripped of EU meeting over Ukraine stance
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 07 - 2024

The European Union has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defense ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine.
It comes weeks after Hungary assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union, a role in which it would normally host the event, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Hungary's actions should have consequences and that "we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal".
Hungary described the move as "completely childish".
Every six months, under each new council presidency, the EU's foreign and defense ministers hold informal meetings to discuss the biggest global issues facing the bloc.
The next set of meetings will take place on 28-30 August and were to be held in Budapest, but on Monday Borrell announced they would instead take place in Brussels.
Citing comments made after the meeting with Putin in which Orban accused the EU of having a "pro-war policy", Borrell told reporters: "If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin.
"I can say that all member states — with one single exception — are very much critical of this behavior.
"I think it was... appropriate to show this feeling and to call for the next foreign and defense council meetings in Brussels."
Of the 26 other countries in the EU, only Slovakia has backed Hungary in the dispute.
Following the decision, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook: "What a fantastic response they have come up with.
"I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it feels like being in a kindergarten."
Orban's meeting with Putin came as part of what he described as a "peace mission" — launched days after Hungary assumed the council presidency — that also saw him visiting the leaders of Ukraine and China as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the US.
The trip sparked condemnation from leaders across the EU, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen describing it as "nothing but an appeasement mission".
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Orban had "no mandate to negotiate or discuss on behalf of the EU", while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the trip sent "the wrong signal to the outside world and is an insult to the Ukrainian people's fight for their freedom".
The episode is one of numerous occasions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on which Hungary has been at odds with most of the rest of the EU about the appropriate response.
After winning re-election in April 2022, just months after the invasion, Orban told a crowd of supporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was among the people he would have to "battle" in his fourth term.
Last year, he repeatedly used Hungary's veto to delay a €50bn (£42bn) package of non-military financial aid to Ukraine. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.