Blanar: Western Service Monitoring of Hungarian Foreign Minister Dangerous

Velke Zaluzie/Bratislava, 25 March (TASR) – The monitoring of Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto by Western intelligence services is very dangerous, said Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) ahead of Wednesday's cabinet session, adding that the matter requires attention. Blanar responded in this way to reports that Szijjarto regularly communicates with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before and after European Union meetings. "The whole thing has a very strong and fishy pre-election quality, as the information is probably old. Minister Szijjarto has confirmed that he communicates [with the Russians] in a normal way, but he absolutely rejects leaking information. He communicates in line with security rules," claimed Blanar, adding that he has no reason to doubt his Hungarian counterpart, whom he described as a capable diplomat. The Washington Post, citing a European security official, reported that Szijjarto regularly calls Lavrov during breaks in EU meetings to provide "live updates" on their course and suggest possible solutions. Szijjarto confirmed that he regularly speaks with Lavrov by phone, arguing that EU decisions in energy, the automotive industry and security have a direct impact on Hungary's relations with partners outside the EU. He rejected allegations that he's violated any security protocols during meetings of the EU Council. mf/df