https://sputnikglobe.com/20231024/her-role-is-to-shout-loudly-lithuanian-attack-on-orban-due-to-vilnius-being-little-poland-1114458550.html
‘Her Role is to Shout Loudly’: Lithuanian Attack on Orban Due to Vilnius Being ‘Little Poland’
‘Her Role is to Shout Loudly’: Lithuanian Attack on Orban Due to Vilnius Being ‘Little Poland’
Sputnik International
According to reports, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has used a recent handshake between Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin to suggest that Hungary is under Russia’s control.
2023-10-24T20:20+0000
2023-10-24T20:20+0000
2023-10-24T20:19+0000
analysis
lithuania
poland
hungary
viktor orban
european union (eu)
gabrielius landsbergis
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"How do we know Budapest's positions are not dictated by Moscow?" Landsbergis asked in Luxembourg amid the meetings of EU Foreign and General Affairs Councils.Orban has been criticized by EU members for refusing to march in lock-step with the bloc’s attempts to isolate Russia for launching its special operation in Ukraine. Budapest has refused to support either Moscow or Kiev, instead calling for negotiations to end the conflict. Recently, Orban criticized the EU, accusing it of similar behavior toward Hungary as that which it experienced as a Soviet ally in 1956, when the Soviet Red Army invaded and crushed an anti-communist uprising.Gabor Stier, a foreign policy senior analyst at Hungarian conservative daily Magyar Nemzet and member of the Valdai Discussion Club, told Sputnik on Tuesday that with his comments, Landsbergis was trying to show Lithuania is “a good student of the Atlantic circle” and “trying to show itself as a bigger player than it really is.”“Lithuanians have a good sense lately of what the big players like and don’t like, for example, the USA and the European Union. Two points are important here. On the one hand, this is a ‘Baltic moment’ - if something positive or pragmatic happens, then the Baltic states historically always scream.”“At this moment, one can criticize Hungary, because they know 100% that they will get a gold star for this from Brussels and Washington. I think it's very simple. Historically they don't like it, but in fact now they use it to show what good students they are, good Atlanticists, good students of the Atlantic mainstream, just to show that ‘we are that good, we know what is right and what is wrong.’”Stier said what was really important was that Lithuania’s comments were ultimately “the voice of America, the voice of Poland,” and did not even represent the Baltic state’s specific interest.“Behind the voice of Lithuania I feel is America and Poland,” he said. “Lithuania and Poland play in tandem, and Lithuania plays the role of the younger brother in this tandem. Following Poland’s example, Lithuania is trying to show itself as more influential than it really is. They felt that Poland liked it, America liked it,” he said of the comments by Landsbergis, “and basically, as I understand it, this is not even a pro-European, but a pro-Atlantic direction.”
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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231017/putin-meets-hungarian-pm-orban-on-sidelines-of-forum-in-china-1114253831.html
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viktor orban; lithuania; hungary; orban putin handshake; 1956 hungarian uprising; gabrielius landsbergis
viktor orban; lithuania; hungary; orban putin handshake; 1956 hungarian uprising; gabrielius landsbergis
‘Her Role is to Shout Loudly’: Lithuanian Attack on Orban Due to Vilnius Being ‘Little Poland’
According to European media reports, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has used a recent handshake between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Beijing forum to suggest that Hungary is under Russia’s control.
"How do we know Budapest's positions are not dictated by Moscow?" Landsbergis asked in Luxembourg amid the meetings of EU Foreign and General Affairs Councils.
"Hungary is a sovereign country,” replied Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó at the meeting, and its prime minister "meets whoever he wants."
Orban has been criticized by EU members for refusing to march in lock-step with the bloc’s attempts to isolate Russia for launching its special operation in Ukraine. Budapest has refused to support either Moscow or Kiev, instead calling for negotiations to end the conflict. Recently, Orban criticized the EU, accusing it of similar behavior toward Hungary as that which it experienced as a Soviet ally in 1956, when the Soviet Red Army invaded and crushed an anti-communist uprising.
Gabor Stier, a foreign policy senior analyst at Hungarian conservative daily Magyar Nemzet and member of the Valdai Discussion Club, told Sputnik on Tuesday that with his comments, Landsbergis was trying to show Lithuania is “a good student of the Atlantic circle” and “trying to show itself as a bigger player than it really is.”
29 September 2023, 16:50 GMT
“Lithuanians have a good sense lately of what the big players like and don’t like, for example, the USA and the European Union. Two points are important here. On the one hand, this is a ‘Baltic moment’ - if something positive or pragmatic happens, then the Baltic states historically always scream.”
“Among the Baltic states, Lithuania stands out. Lithuania is a ‘little Poland,’ it plays the same role, plus Baltic phobias, which are historically justified, but still phobias. On the other hand, this is ‘little Poland.’ Lithuania is trying to show itself as a bigger player than it really is: following the example of Poland, her role is to shout loudly,” he said.
“At this moment, one can criticize Hungary, because they know 100% that they will get a gold star for this from Brussels and Washington. I think it's very simple. Historically they don't like it, but in fact now they use it to show what good students they are, good Atlanticists, good students of the Atlantic mainstream, just to show that ‘we are that good, we know what is right and what is wrong.’”
17 October 2023, 09:19 GMT
Stier said what was really important was that Lithuania’s comments were ultimately “the voice of America, the voice of Poland,” and did not even represent the Baltic state’s specific interest.
“Behind the voice of Lithuania I feel is America and Poland,” he said. “Lithuania and Poland play in tandem, and Lithuania plays the role of the younger brother in this tandem. Following Poland’s example, Lithuania is trying to show itself as more influential than it really is. They felt that Poland liked it, America liked it,” he said of the comments by Landsbergis, “and basically, as I understand it, this is not even a pro-European, but a pro-Atlantic direction.”
