The Polish Ambassador to Iran came to bow and shake hands with President Raisi
Poland and Hungary parted ways with other EU countries and sent their ambassadors to Tehran for an official reception given by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to mark the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
If for Budapest, which is trying to expand cooperation with Tehran, such behavior is in the order of things, then Warsaw’s position surprised many, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Iranian media released photographs showing the ambassadors of Poland and Hungary to Iran - Maciej Falkowski and Zoltan Varga-Hazonits - sitting behind Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at an official ceremony. One of the photographs shows Falkowski shaking Raisi’s hand with a slight bow.
The EU has no formal policy regarding attendance at events like the one at which the ambassadors were photographed. But Brussels has secured an informal agreement from EU member states to act in concert on symbolic steps, such as boycotting high-profile public ceremonies, to “signal their shared dismay at Tehran’s crackdown on protests and support for Russian aggression.”
As Brussels-based Politico notes, Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has earned a reputation as a black sheep in the EU and is seeking to deepen ties with Iran, and it is not surprising that Budapest ignored Brussels' instructions. Thus, the Iranian government announced in advance that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó sent congratulations to his Iranian counterpart on the occasion of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. However, Poland is a completely different matter, writes Politico.
“Warsaw has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters. Polish leaders argue that helping Ukraine defend against a Russian invasion is necessary both for the security of Poland and for Europe itself. Iran’s military supplies to the enemy of Ukraine made Poland one of the countries whose representatives were least likely to be present at the celebration of the anniversary of the revolution,” the publication notes.
At the same time, Politico admits that the informal boycott of government events in Iran by EU member states has less to do with this country’s support for Russia than with the suppression of protests and the attitude of the Iranian authorities towards women. The publication recalls that the Iranian government reported receiving congratulations on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution from Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.
Polish Ambassador to Iran came to bow and shake hands with President Raisi