Poland has decided not to invite the Hungarian ambassador to an opening event for Warsaw’s presidency of the European Union (EU) on Friday, the 3rd of January, after Hungary granted asylum to a former deputy minister under investigation for alleged misuse of public funds, said Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, deputy minister for European affairs, reports Reuters.
Warsaw reacted angrily when Hungary last month granted political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a former Polish deputy justice minister accused of misusing public funds. Romanowski, who denies the charges, was detained in July but released on the grounds of immunity as a member of the European Law Assembly.
“When we invited guests to our gala almost a month ago, we invited the entire diplomatic corps,” Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said in a televised interview on Friday.
“But after the situation with Minister Romanowski, (Foreign Minister) Sikorski decided that the Hungarian ambassador is not a welcome guest in the theatre today.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was also not invited to the ceremony at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, the deputy minister said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Council President Antonio Costa addressed the ceremony, which opened Poland’s six-month rotating EU Council presidency.
Hungary previously held the presidency.
Tusk has criticised Orbán on issues such as his stance on the war in Ukraine and policies that Poland considers pro-Russian. Orbán has said that the Tusk government considers Hungarians to be enemies.