BUDAPEST/WARSAW, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Poland has formally recalled its ambassador to Hungary, the Polish Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday.
Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that Ambassador to Hungary Sebastian Keciek's mission officially ended on July 15. "We now have a charge d'affaires stationed in Budapest," he said, signaling a downgrade in Poland's diplomatic presence in Hungary.
The decision was described by Warsaw as a response to "a hostile act against the Republic of Poland" -- namely, Hungary's decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski.
Romanowski is a former Polish deputy minister facing multiple criminal charges in his home country. Romanowski is wanted by the Polish National Prosecutor's Office on 11 counts, including participation in an organized criminal group and misuse of public funds. A European arrest warrant has been issued for his detention.
He currently resides in Budapest and heads the Hungarian-Polish Institute of Freedom.
Hungarian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Levente Magyar acknowledged the diplomatic downgrade in a statement on Wednesday, expressing regret over the development but describing it as temporary.
"This unfortunate step is the result of a gradual deterioration in our political ties -- an unprecedented move in the history of our relations with any Central European partner."
Hungary considers this a temporary situation that will not damage the historic friendship between the Hungarian and Polish peoples, Magyar added.
He informed that Hungary remains open to dialogue and conveyed this position to Jacek Sladewski, Poland's charge d'affaires in Budapest.
The episode highlights the widening political divide between Warsaw and Budapest, two countries once closely aligned on many EU policy matters. ■
