Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said: "Rather than learning the facts the Baltic states have launched a campaign of lies against Hungary ... over Hungary including Russian and Belorussian citizens in its National Card programme."
Minister Szijjártó said the Hungarian government’s move “does not ease strict security controls over incoming Russian and Belorussian citizens in any way.” Szijjártó also said Péter Sztáray, state secretary at the foreign ministry, had earlier in the day informed the embassies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. “We hope that learning the facts will end the campaign of lies,” the minister said. The “Baltic propaganda campaign” against Hungary has been “restarted”, as Baltic states accused the country of putting the security of the Schengen Area at risk, Szijjártó said on Tuesday. Contrary to that “childish lie”, Russian and Belorussian nationals continue to need visas to enter the Schengen Area and can obtain residence permits only through lawful procedures, Szijjártó said. Meanwhile, issuing residence permits and similar procedures are national competencies, so “Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian authorities have similar rights,” he added. “It would be much better if my colleagues in Baltic countries informed their citizens correctly rather than launching new smear campaigns,” he said on Facebook.