Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is visiting Tbilisi, stated that the parliamentary elections held in Georgia were "free and democratic," although he acknowledged that disputes will still arise in Europe. According to him, he reviewed the report from the Hungarian observers, which he described as "positive in all aspects."
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“I did not want to come to Georgia during the election campaign because it would be perceived as an attempt to interfere with us. We waited for the results and then decided to come to Tbilisi, so thank you for the invitation after the elections. I want to congratulate the Prime Minister of Georgia on his victory in the elections. I am watching the controversy after the announcement of the election results. I will also get to know the international response. I can say that no one dared to say that this election or its results were not democratic in any way, except for the critical opinion that was expressed. That's right. We, the Hungarians, also sometimes send our observers, and it was the same in Georgia. I studied the report presented by the Hungarian observers. It was positive, free and democratic in all aspects. Therefore, I want to congratulate the Prime Minister of Georgia,” said Orban at the press conference held together with Kobakhidze.
He stated that no one wants to involve his country in a senseless war, and therefore he understands "the decision made by the Georgian people."
"I want to clearly state that the Georgian people made a sign of peace; they made a European choice. I believe that the ruling party is committed to European integration. You are probably the only country in the world that has written in its constitution that all governments must make every effort to join the EU, and questioning loyalty under these circumstances is truly ridiculous.
I also want to congratulate the Georgian government on that while enforcing pro-European politics, you didn’t allow becoming a second Ukraine. We greatly value the PM’s devotion to this idea, and I’m confident Georgia will be well-suited to join the EU by the end of this decade. We will do our best to help you.
The election results are undeniable! Free and democratic elections have been held, but there will still be controversy in Europe. You should not take it seriously because it is a common story. There is this kind of argument, it always is in Brussels.
When conservative parties win elections, we always see such arguments. European politics is based on a guide - if the liberals win, then it's a democracy, if the conservatives win, then there was no democracy. "This kind of debate always happens in Brussels - whether the elections will be held in Hungary or in any other country, it will be like this and it will be perceived like that," Viktor Orbán said.
Viktor Orbán is the only one among the leaders of the 27 member states of the European Union who congratulated the Prime Minister of Georgia and the ruling party on their election victory.
The European Union has called on the Georgian authorities to quickly, transparently, and independently investigate and address election violations. As the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, stated, "That is a necessary step to re-building trust in the electoral process." The United States has also joined the request for an investigation.
