Gergely Gulyás said: the government will initiate the termination procedure today in accordance with the constitutional and international legal frameworks.

The International Criminal Court "was a respectable initiative," he added, but in recent times it has become a political body - and the indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the saddest example of this.

The minister emphasized that the government considers all of this unacceptable, and therefore has decided not to participate in the work of the International Criminal Court.

As he explained, Hungary has been in a unique situation until now, because unlike other ICC member states, the Parliament has never proclaimed the court's statute, so it is not part of domestic law. For all this, our clear legal position is that in Hungary, it is currently not possible to arrest anyone or initiate "any proceedings against anyone" on this basis, pointed out Gergely Gulyás.

He stated that Hungary does not intend to eliminate the aforementioned dubious situation by promulgating the aforementioned statute, but rather by leaving the International Criminal Court as a result of the withdrawal procedure.

The minister explained that "serious concerns have arisen" internationally regarding the ICC's activities in recent times. The United States, China and Turkey have never been members of the International Criminal Court, and the United States Congress has also decided to sanction ICC judges with bipartisan support. 

Furthermore, among European partners, the future German Chancellor and the current Polish Prime Minister have made it clear that they would disregard the court's decision despite their internal legal obligations due to the announcement and that they would welcome the Israeli prime minister.

All of this clearly demonstrates that the ICC's activities have " deviated from its original purpose " and that since " politics has become a court ", Hungary does not wish to be a member in the future - said Gergely Gulyás.

Orban: Self-respecting rules-based democratic state 'cannot participate in ICC'

Hungary, a self-respecting democratic state governed by the rule of law, cannot participate in a politically tainted international court, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said in connection with the government's decision to quit the International Criminal Court.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Thursday held with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest, Orban said the ICC had become "a political court" in recent years and the body was "no longer an impartial, rules-based court". This, he added was clearly demonstrated by the ICC's decisions concerning Israel.

At the press conference, Netanyahu applauded Orban's remarks.

"It is my conviction that this otherwise crucial international judicial forum has been degraded into a political tool," Orban said, adding that Hungary would not have "any community" with the ICC in the coming period.

Orban said the foreign minister will submit a bill to parliament on Hungary's withdrawal from the ICC later in the day.

Orban noted that he was the prime minister who signed the document cementing Hungary’s membership in the ICC in 2000, and he was now the one who signed the document on Hungary’s withdrawal from the court.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said Hungary enforces zero tolerance against anti-Semitism with every means possible and protects all of its citizens.

He noted that he and Netanyahu last met in Budapest eight years ago and he last visited Israel in 2021. He said the world had gone through "huge changes" since then, with global security facing "serious threats", as evidenced by the 2023 terrorist attack against Israel.

Orban said the "cruel and serious attack" that had "aimed to crush Israel’s sovereignty" had had a high impact on the entire world, including Hungary.

Hungary, Orban said, had made it clear that it stands by Israel’s sovereignty, its right to self-defence and the security of the Israeli people, noting that it has represented this position on the world political stage ever since. He wished the Israeli government success in guaranteeing the security of its people and enforcing its right to defend itself.

Orban said Hungary had also undergone changes recently, "mainly when it comes to the European Union". Hungary in recent years had been "an island of freedom, the resolute guardian and standard-bearer of Judeo-Christian civilisation in Europe".

Hungary, he noted, is home to Europe’s third largest Jewish community, adding he was certain that Hungary was the safest place in Europe for Jewish people today.

He said anti-Semitism had reached "unprecedented levels" in western Europe over the past decade, adding that "Hamas flags have never been waved in Hungary and never will be."

"In this country ... there is zero tolerance for anti-Semitism, and that is something we enforce with every means possible," the prime minister said. "We protect all of our citizens and devote special attention to groups that are highly vulnerable, and the Jewish community is now highly vulnerable everywhere in the world."

Anti-Semitism is being imported into western Europe as illegal migration amplifies its spread, Orban said. "The elite in Brussels cannot and does not want to curb illegal migration but wants to manage it instead," he said.

Hungary will not accept any kind of migration or the implementation in the country of any European migration agreement, as this would jeopardise the security of all citizens living here, Orban said.

He said Hungary had an interest, coinciding with its national values, in Israel remaining a stable and safe country, adding that "a stable Israel is key to stability in the Middle East."

Meanwhile, Orban noted that Israel is a major investor in Hungary, adding that cooperation between Hungarian and Israeli businesses was strong. He voiced hope that that cooperation would continue, adding that Hungary would continue maintaining defence industry cooperation with Israel.

He noted that Hungary has integrated a considerable amount of technology purchased from Israel into its defence systems.

Orban said there are 150 Israeli companies present in Hungary, employing thousands of people, adding that these were valuable investments in Hungary’s pharmaceuticals and hi-tech sectors.

He welcomed that Israel has never imposed any barriers to Hungarian exports.

The prime minister thanked Israel for its support for the Hungarian Jewish community. Noting the hardship Hungarian Jews have endured throughout history, he said they felt at home in Hungary and could also consider themselves a valuable community, "just as we consider Hungary’s Jewish community a valuable community".

Orban said Netanyahu’s visit was not only important from a political point of view but was also "an important personal, spiritual visit with a civilisational purpose".

He said Israel could continue to count on Hungary in the future as "a European bastion of Judeo-Christian culture that is impenetrable to our opponents".

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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