Opposition leader and former prime minister Viktor Orbán will not attend a Friday meeting of politicians to be held in Hegyeshalom at the Hungarian-Austrian border, on the occasion of Hungary joining the Schengen zone the previous day, reports left-wing daily Népszava. Organizers of the event have invited those Hungarian politicians who have served as prime minister since the system change 17 years ago, in addition to current PM Ferenc Gyurcsány, Slovak PM Robert Fico, Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer and Portuguese PM Jose Socrates. Orbán will make a speech before Hungary joins the Schengen zone on December 20, in Esztergom.
Orbán’s office told the paper that attending the ceremony was not in his schedule, and suggested that the organizers might have forgotten to invite him. However, the foreign ministry said that an invitation had been sent to Orbán as well, but neither him nor anyone in his name had indicated whether he would be attending.
Orbán will be in Esztergom one day before Hungary joins the Schengen zone. With the chairman of the Slovak Hungarian Coalition Party, Pál Csáky, he will open an all-night celebration that will be held on the two banks of the Danube in Štúrovo (Hungarian: Párkány) and Esztergom. Reportedly, he will travel home after the opening speeches and will not attend the programs, which will include concerts, street parties and fireworks displays.
