During a visit to Vienna, Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said the relationship between Hungary and Austria would be better if the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) were in power.
Speaking today at a joint press conference with FPÖ Secretary-General Christian Hafenecker, Szijjártó said: “In Austria we see a lot of common ground with the FPÖ. If the FPÖ were in government co-operation would probably by closer.
The Hungarian minister said he regretted that the FPÖ had not been allowed to join the government – despite coming in first in the September 2024 election with 29 per cent of the vote.
He drew parallels with developments in other European Union member states.
“In many countries patriotic parties are the strongest. But in many places they are being kept from political power because democratic norms are being disregarded,” Szijjártó said.
“This has also happened in Austria. A patriotic party has won and through whatever machinations the losers formed a coalition against them.”
Szijjártó added: “I am only mentioning this since some Austrian politicians constantly feel the need to educate us [Hungarians] on matters of the rule of law and democracy. Some modesty would be called for.”
He visited Austria for a meeting of foreign ministers of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
The OECD’s 38 member countries span the world, from North America and South America to Europe and Asia-Pacific. It has its headquarters in Vienna.
Szijjártó also met with FPÖ representatives including the party’s leader Herbert Kickl.
The Hungarian minister used the press conference to criticise the EU, which he accused of constantly weakening itself.
“2025 is a year of isolation for the EU. The EU propagates migration, war and gender madness.
“Through this strategy it has isolated itself internationally and no longer plays a leading role in both global politics and world economics”, he said, expressing hopes for a “patriotic turnaround” to make Europe strong again.
Hafenecker agreed, focusing his critique on the EU’s “failed asylum and migration policy”.
He said: “This involves mandatory redistribution of asylum seekers, fines as well as interference with sovereign states’ asylum and security policies. And we cannot and will not accept that under any circumstances.”
Austria’s liberal Neos party – whose leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger is Austria’s foreign minister – criticised the FPÖ’s “ingratiation” to Hungary.
Neos MEP Helmut Brandstätter said: “Those who follow in the footsteps of the European right-wing will end up as Putin’s matryoshka dolls.”
