Slovak PM sees no issue with Hungarian foreign minister coordinating with Lavrov over Slovak elections

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said he sees nothing unusual in Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó helping to arrange a visit to Moscow for former Slovak prime minister Peter Pellegrini in support of his election campaign.

Source: Slovak newspaper Dennik N, as reported by European Pravda

Details: It should be noted that the Direction – Social Democracy party, to which Pellegrini belonged in 2020 and which is now led by Fico, lost the election at that time and ended up in opposition.

Fico said he had no knowledge of Pellegrini's campaign strategy or of any planned visit to Moscow.

"In 2020, I practically did not exist in politics, so I have no grounds to comment on this," the current prime minister added.

Meanwhile, he said he does not consider this case to be interference in the Slovak elections.

Quote: "A violation of the rules is when the UK Foreign Office hires a company and that company pays influencers and actors in Slovakia to help Progressive Slovakia [party – ed.]."

Details: Fico also claimed that he has not seen evidence that Szijjártó has been calling his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during EU meetings.

"Let everyone call whoever they want. I did not call and do not intend to make such calls, and I have seen no evidence," the Slovak prime minister said.

Background:

• Recently, Hungarian opposition journalist Szabolcs Panyi published a transcript of a conversation between Szijjártó and Lavrov, in which Szijjártó asked for assistance in securing a social-democratic victory in Slovakia's elections.
• Slovakia's Minister of Investment Samuel Migaľ described reports concerning President Peter Pellegrini as troubling. The reports suggest that in 2020, when Pellegrini was prime minister, he was due to arrange a meeting in the Kremlin through Hungary.

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