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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Displaced Palestinians fled Gaza City overnight on Thursday (18 September), moving southwards after Israeli forces ordered residents of the city to evacuate to the south.
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa said ongoing negotiations with Israel over a security pact could produce results “in the coming days.”
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it was opening an additional route for 48 hours that Palestinians could use to leave Gaza City as it stepped up efforts to empty the area of civilians and confront thousands of Hamas troops.
Israel and Syria are set to meet in Azerbaijan on Thursday for a new round of security talks, with discussions centred on an Israeli proposal for a buffer-zone agreement modelled on the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, according to Sky News Arabia.
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President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, in Baku on 18 September.
Kazakhstan has resumed oil exports via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. KazMunayGas said through its press service that a shipment of 8,800 tonnes of Kashagan oil was dispatched from the port of Aktau on the 13 September.
The long-awaited Zangezur Corridor in Azerbaijan, is set to become a vital transit artery—integrating the Turkic world and revitalising the Middle Corridor trade route stretching from the Far East to Europe according to Türkiye's Trade Minister Omer Bolat.
TEKNOFEST opened its doors on Wednesday (17 September) at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, bringing together technology lovers, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
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