Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar has described Poland as a role model for his country during his inaugural visit to Warsaw.
Poland is now a middle power and stronger than ever before, said Magyar, following talks with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk on Wednesday.
Hungary must work to follow Poland’s example in developing its infrastructure, economy and defence capabilities, he said.
Tusk praised Magyar’s recent election victory, which he said signified Hungary’s return to Europe, honesty and genuine democracy.
"It is also a sign of hope for millions of people in Europe and worldwide that democracy, the rule of law, decency and morality in politics are not lost causes."
The two-day visit to Poland is Magyar’s first foreign trip in his new role. The 45-year-old secured a two-thirds majority with his centre-right Tisza Party in the Hungarian parliamentary elections in April, ousting the right-wing populist Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power.
Orbán systematically eroded democracy, which Magyar has promised to reverse.
Many see a parallel with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In the 2023 parliamentary elections, Tusk succeeded in defeating the right-wing conservative PiS, which had governed Poland for eight years, with a pro-European opposition alliance.
At the meeting, Magyar also emphasized the foreign policy shift in his country. "Ukraine is a victim and has the right to defend itself," he made clear.
Poland, an EU and NATO member state, is one of the closest political and military allies of Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia.
In contrast, under Orbán's rule Hungary made itself an outsider within the EU with its pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian stance.
In the afternoon, Magyar was due to join Tusk in the latter's home town of Gdańsk to speak with Solidarity founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa.
