Hillary Clinton writes letter to PM Orban
In her letter, Clinton “basically laid down what she had verbally communicated before,” said Peter Szijjarto.
Earlier on Tuesday, the website of the daily Nepszabadsag wrote about the letter containing Clinton’s position on the “systematic dismantling of Hungary’s democratic institutions”. According to the portal, the letter reiterates US concerns about the independence of the Hungarian judiciary, the country’s new church law and the freedom of the media. The letter also criticises the Hungarian authorities’ decision to reassign the Budapest frequency of commercial talk radio station Klubradio to another media outlet.
During a visit to Budapest in June, Clinton assured Orban of her country’s support to efforts seeking Hungary’s restructuring, but voiced concern over democratic traditions, and asked the government to make a commitment to the independence of the judiciary, the freedom of the media, and the transparency of government.
The US embassy in Budapest declined to confirm the existence of the letter to MTI on Tuesday, noting that the embassy did not provide information on diplomatic communication from the State Department.
The embassy added, however, that “the US had on many occasions raised its concerns that the significant reforms to the Hungarian constitution also preserve individual liberties and necessary checks and balances. It is important that these changes are undertaken with adequate transparency and debate”.
