He revealed the conversation between the Hungarian minister and Sergei Lavrov. “We have a very important request”

This information was revealed on Monday by Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi. He published a transcript of Szijjarto's 2020 conversation with Lavrov on Facebook.

“Prime minister [Viktor Orban] he asked me to talk to him because we have a very important request. The elections in Slovakia are approaching and it is crucial for us that the local coalition can continue,” the head of Hungarian diplomacy began the conversation. “They are the only rational force in Slovak politics, acting without foreign influence. Everything else is practically financed by George Soros (an American philanthropist and investor of Hungarian-Jewish origin, who is critical of Orbán's rule),” explained Szijjarto.

“Prime Minister Pellegrini (…) told us that if your Prime Minister would receive him even for half an hour, it would be very helpful in winning the elections. He told us that it is much more important for (Slovak) society than going to Washington,” Szijjarto told Lavrov, according to Panyi.

“It's a big request, but I will pass it on to the prime minister,” Lavrov replied. “It would be great. Pellegrini asked us for help in this matter because he knows how good our relationship is,” Szijjarto said. Pellegrini met then-Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow on February 26, three days before the parliamentary elections in Slovakia.

Panyi noted that the conversation was recorded by the security services of one of the European Union countries. The new government of Slovakia after the 2020 elections was formed by Igor Matovicz, heading a coalition that did not include the previous ruling parties.

Earlier on Monday, representatives of the Hungarian government accused Panyi of providing Minister Szijjarto's telephone number to foreign services in order to wiretap him. Referring to the allegations, first published by the pro-government weekly “Mandiner”, Panyi wrote that in the conversation referred to, he talked to one of his sources while working on material regarding Szijjarto's talks with Lavrov, to whom the Hungarian diplomat was supposed to report on talks held at the EU forum.

The Hungarian minister was to provide Russians with reports from EU summits

According to Panyi, the information published about him on Monday is “an attempt to distort the investigation into the provision of information to the Russians.” “I spoke to officials from seven European Union countries who confirmed that they knew that Peter Szijjarto was constantly passing confidential information to Sergei Lavrov and other Russians,” said the Hungarian investigative journalist.