“The Hungarian Government is happy to assist everyone if they require information with relation to the legislative amendments”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said with reference to the amendment of the Act on Higher Education and the proposed Bill on the transparency of organisations that receive money from abroad.
“It is difficult to know what to do in cases in which someone begins by delivering a verdict and only asks questions afterwards”, he added.
The Minister said he was glad and it shows a positive approach that the American State Department is sending a fact-finding delegation to Hungary, adding that if such a delegation does indeed visit Hungary, the Government will gladly receive them and provide all the required information. Information will also be provided on the registration requirements for non-governmental organisations that receive funding from abroad. Conditions of this kind are also a requirement in the United States “in a certain form”, he noted.
Mr. Szijjártó said that in his opinion the new registration requirements would not cause any difficulties for charities and aid organisations, explaining that there is no problem with an international charity organisation receiving money from abroad. “The Hungarian Government also gives donations to both Hungarian and foreign aid organisations, including in the interests of enabling Christian communities in the Middle East to remain in situ”, he pointed out.
“The Government has received no feedback from abroad with relation to the amendment of the act on non-governmental organisations”, he said, adding that if it does, it will provide all the necessary information.
In reply to a question on why as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade he had “only” held talks with advisors during his recent visit to the United States, while the Rector of the CEU was received by several higher ranked officials, he expressed his shock at the fact that the opposition was even prepared to “deny concrete facts”. When he was last in Washington attending the summit of the Global Coalition Against ISIS, he held negotiations with the U.S. State Department’s second in charge”, he said.