(ANSA-AFP) - BUDAPEST, JUL 1 - Hungary takes over the EU's
rotating presidency on Monday, promising to be an "honest
broker" despite widespread concerns over what critics see as an
authoritarian, Russia-friendly government. Nationalist Prime
Minister Viktor Orban, who has run the central European country
since 2010 aiming to transform it into an "illiberal democracy",
frequently clashes with Brussels over rule-of-law and human
rights issues. He is also the only EU leader who has maintained
ties with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine. He has refused
to send arms to Kyiv and repeatedly slammed sanctions against
Moscow over the war. Last year, the European Parliament adopted
a non-binding resolution highlighting Hungary's "backsliding" on
democratic values, and questioning how it could "credibly"
assume the bloc's six-month presidency. (ANSA-AFP).
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