Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Hungary, saying he would guarantee that an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu would "not be observed".
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Hungary, saying he would guarantee that an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu would "not be observed".
The ICC issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
Orban, whose country holds the European Union's rotating six-month presidency, told state radio that the ICC's arrest warrant was "wrong" and said the Israeli leader would be able to conduct negotiations in Hungary "in adequate safety".
"Today I will invite Israel's prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu, for a visit to Hungary and in that invite I will guarantee him that if he comes, the ICC ruling will have no effect in Hungary, and we will not follow its contents," Orban said.
Since Orban and his nationalist Fidesz party swept to power in 2010, he and Netanyahu have forged close political relations. Netanyahu visited Budapest in 2017.
Israeli leaders and the White House have strongly condemned the ICC decision, while EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the warrants were not political and that all EU member states should respect and implement the court decision.
Within the EU, Hungary and the Czech Republic have been strong backers of Israel, while countries such as Spain and Ireland stress their support for the Palestinians.
The Czech Foreign Ministry, responding to the ICC decision, said Prague would respect its international legal obligations.
However, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the ICC decision "unfortunate", saying on X late on Thursday: "(The move) undermines its authority in other cases when it equates the elected representatives of a democratic state with the leaders of an Islamist terrorist organization."
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
Eurasian leaders have gathered in Bishkek for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit focused on security, economic ties and regional co-operation, as the bloc marks its 25th anniversary. China's President Xi Jinping also hailed the “unprecedented” development in China-Kyrgyzstan relations.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has marked the 104th anniversary of Victory Day, honouring the decisive military victory that helped pave the way for the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye.
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Central Asia is moving towards a more connected digital financial system, as rising cashless payments, expanding digital wallets and growing cross-border trade create demand for faster and cheaper ways to move money across the region.
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