BEIRUT (AP) — After two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Rome, Lebanon and Israel took steps toward implementing “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces would withdraw and turn over control to the Lebanese army, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

The State Department said in a statement that the talks were “productive” and the parties “agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process, to be finalized and implemented in the coming days.”

There was no immediate statement from Lebanon or Israel on the outcome of the negotiations.

Lebanon and Israel announced a “framework agreement” on June 26 laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from the large swathes of southern Lebanon they are occupying, in exchange for disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

The deal was supposed to begin with two “pilot zones” where the Israeli military is to turn over control to the Lebanese army, which would clear the areas of any Hezbollah presence.

However, implementation on the ground had stalled ahead of this week’s talks in Rome.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who is slated to visit Washington on July 21, said in a statement ahead of the Rome talks that instructions had been given to the Lebanese delegation “to demand the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two pilot zones before any further discussions.”

Wednesday’s statement did not specify where the pilot zones would be, but Lebanese and Israeli officials previously said they would include the towns of Froun, Ghandouriyeh and Zawtar.

The designated zones generated some controversy in Lebanon, because Israeli troops were not present in most of the selected area to begin with, raising questions about how a withdrawal could take place. The Lebanese army had pushed for pilot zones that were larger and included more area occupied by Israeli forces.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began when Hezbollah fired missiles across the border on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

Hezbollah and Iran had sought to link the end of the war in Lebanon to the outcome of broader U.S.-Iran talks. The Lebanese government, trying to minimize Iran’s influence, aimed to keep the two tracks separate and negotiate a ceasefire directly with Israel.

The June 26 Lebanon-Israel deal also envisions steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment.

The State Department said that following implementation of the pilot zones, “We will move to expanded technical talks … with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon.”

Hezbollah has been vehemently opposed to the direct Lebanon-Israel talks and has said it will not abide by the agreement and has no plans to disarm. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said publicly that they plan an extended occupation of southern Lebanon.

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Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Amazon said Wednesday that the technology company will launch its new satellite internet service Amazon Leo in South Africa in 2027, seemingly pushing ahead of Elon Musk’s rival Starlink to win business in Africa’s most advanced economy.

Amazon, which was founded by Jeff Bezos, said that it would partner with South African internet provider Herotel to launch a new service in the country of 62 million people. Amazon said that it was its first satellite internet agreement on the African continent.

No financial details were initially disclosed.

Amazon’s announcement follows Musk’s bitter criticism of the government in his country of birth. The world’s richest man has said that South African regulations have prevented him from launching Starlink there because he’s white, and has accused the government of racism.

He was referring to South Africa’s affirmative action policies, which require foreign companies operating in the communications sector to give a minority share of their local entities to Black or other non-white owners in order to acquire a license.

The regulations are meant to provide opportunities that were denied non-white people under the country’s previous apartheid system of white minority rule.

The South African government has backed the Amazon deal, with Communications Minister Solly Malatsi joining Amazon and Herotel representatives to announce the agreement.

Amazon launched its first low orbit internet satellites last year and says it has more than 390 currently operational.

Starlink’s first operational satellites were launched in 2019 and it now has more than 10,000 in orbit. Starlink’s satellite internet has launched in around two dozen other African countries, but Musk has refused to follow South Africa’s affirmative action regulations.

Amazon said Wednesday that the South African deal was the start of its effort to roll out across Africa, where it would also partner with Vanu Inc., a Lexington, Massachusetts-based company specializing in mobile internet in developing countries.

There’s a large potential market for satellite internet in Africa, a continent of more than 1.5 billion people where many live in rural and other areas without fixed internet connections.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

SALZBURG, Austria (AP) — Visitors to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s hometown can see the composer — and his dog — in miniature as Salzburg celebrates the 270th anniversary of his birth. But they shouldn’t wait too long.

The Mozarteum Foundation on Wednesday unveiled 300 gold-colored statuettes of Mozart, which are barely 50 centimeters (less than 20 inches) tall. They were designed by German concept artist Ottmar Hörl.

Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756, in the Austrian city, where the Mozarteum Foundation offers concerts, maintains Mozart museums and supports research on him.

“I didn’t want to do a monument of Mozart. There are already enough of these. But I wanted to show his human side, that he was a normal human being despite his genius,” Hörl told The Associated Press.

To give the statues a human touch, Hörl depicted the composer with his favorite dog, Pimperl. Mozart and his family were known to take long walks with their dogs in the Mirabell Garden, next to where they lived.

The mini-Mozarts populate not only the garden, but also Mozart’s former living quarters as well as several pavilions. In all, 400 statues were made, but only 300 are on display at present. The rest are being kept in reserve in case of theft.

“Two already got stolen within the last few hours,” Linus Klumpner of the Mozarteum Foundation said. But the statues are meant to attract a broader range of visitors and get them hooked on Mozart’s Music.

“You come here, maybe you see the small golden heads shimmering in the sun on the horizon. And people become curious,” Klumpner said. “And then a process begins which is very much in our interest. That is to bring new people in contact with Mozart.”

For Hörl, the theft of his artworks in nothing new. At an installation in Bayreuth, Germany, a complete array of statues of Richard Wagner was stolen within 10 days.

“That’s just the nature of public space. That means when you work as an artist in a public space you mustn’t complain about what is happening there,” Hörl said. “It ranges from destruction to theft. That’s just how it is.”

The Mozart statues are scheduled to remain on display until Aug. 30. People who would like to own one but would prefer not to steal it can purchase one for 100 euros ($114) – while supplies last.

Hörl is known for his sculptures made from polymer. In 2010 he displayed 10,000 plastic owls in Athens. A “Homage to Dürer” showcased oversized plastic copies of Albrecht Dürer’s hare at the Daegu art museum in South Korea.

In 2009, German prosecutors decided against investigating Hörl over a series of golden garden gnomes doing the Hitler salute, under a law that forbids using insignia forbidden by the German constitution. Hörl himself intended the gnomes as satire against the Nazis’ ideology.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities have raided two bookstores and arrested five people on suspicion of selling allegedly seditious publications, local media reported Wednesday, in the latest step targeting independent booksellers.

Videos and photos from multiple media outlets showed officers wearing vests marked with “Police” seizing boxes from the building housing Have A Nice Stay, a bookshop founded by former journalists. A bookseller was seen being taken away.

A few streets away a similar scene played out, with boxes taken from the building housing Greenfield Book Store, according to a video by online news outlet The Collective.

Police later said they raided two stores in Mong Kok district, without identifying them. They arrested two men and three women on suspicion of breaching the 2024 national security law, according to their statement.

This is the third round of arrests linked to independent bookstores after similar operations in March and June that were widely seen as stifling dissent in the Asian financial hub.

The new police statement said an investigation showed the five people were suspected of displaying seditious materials and selling seditious publications on the premises. The publications’ content includes stirring up hatred against the city’s government, judiciary and law enforcement agencies, it said.

Customs officials referred the case after the discovery of allegedly seditious books in a batch of goods shipped to Hong Kong from overseas, police said, without specifying titles.

The bookstores were closed during usual opening hours on Wednesday. Calls to Greenfield and a founder of Have A Nice Stay were unanswered.

Have A Nice Stay had already announced it would shut down on Aug. 30. In a social media post, it said financial difficulties and an elusive red line were among the factors.

Hong Kong was once known for its freedom of publication and freedom of expression. Some Chinese residents crossed the border to buy books deemed to be too politically sensitive on the mainland.

Lam Wing-kee, the owner of Causeway Bay Books until his death earlier this month, made international headlines in 2016 when he revealed that he was held by Chinese authorities after crossing from Hong Kong to the city of Shenzhen. Four others affiliated with the bookstore in Hong Kong disappeared in late 2015.

Lam’s account shocked many people in the former British colony, which Beijing promised would maintain its Western-style civil liberties for 50 years after its return to China in 1997.

Following political changes after anti-government protests in 2019, independent bookstores have been operating in an even more challenging environment.

Authorities say the national security laws are crucial for the city’s stability. Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Chris Tang has said the government would not set up a list of banned books, saying it would be pointless to implement in reality.

In March, police arrested the owner and staff of the independent Book Punch store, reportedly on suspicion of selling seditious publications. They included the biography of former pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in his national security case.

In June, Hong Kong police arrested two booksellers on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations.

All were later released on bail.

LONDON (AP) — A man who made a threat on social media to shoot Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was arrested, police said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over the security of British politicians following the killing last week of former government minister Ann Widdecombe.

The man was held on Tuesday on suspicion of sending threatening communications to a member of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police said. He was held overnight and later released on bail.

“I am going to shoot you in the head if you win,” the man allegedly told Farage in a post on X in May, according to the Telegraph newspaper.

The July 8 killing of Widdecombe at her rural home in southwest England shocked the political establishment and the public. The 78-year-old, who was Reform’s immigration and justice spokesperson, was long known for her blunt-spoken socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

Farage said her death showed that “things have become even more dangerous” for people in public life and his party has called for better protection. Other Reform politicians have suggested their party members are at greater risk than other politicians.

Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a tribute to Widdecombe in the House of Commons, said it was “chilling” that three sitting or former MPs had been murdered during his 11 years in Parliament.

“We must do more to defend our democracy” Starmer said.

Security has been tightened in the past decade after Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was fatally shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

The alleged threat to Farage came during local and regional elections in May that saw his relatively new anti-immigration party win big and raise its hopes he could become prime minister after the next election, due in 2029. The poll results were so poor for the ruling Labour Party that its members forced Starmer to resign.

Police said the threat was reported May 8, but the arrest only came after they received information they requested from the social media company about the user’s identity.

Farage has recently been embroiled in a scandal over a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) donation he received from an overseas cryptocurrency billionaire that he said helped pay for his private security.

The Reform leader resigned his seat in Parliament this month but is seeking reelection to show he still has voters’ support. Opponents have criticized the move as a ploy to dodge a parliamentary probe.

The investigation into Widdecombe’s death is being handled by counterterror police. A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and terror crimes. He remains in custody but was not named because he has not been charged.

Devon and Cornwall Police have been criticized for originally saying the killing was not believed to be a terror-related crime and there was nothing to suggest it was politically motivated.

Widdecombe served in Parliament from 1987 to 2010, and was prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.

She later found fame as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”

She joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. She had recently joined Reform.

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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

July 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to attack a site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme known as Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran’s main nuclear sites.

“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump said in a July 13 interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show.

The threat reflects escalating tensions as Tehran and Washington trade fire in the Gulf, setting back efforts to end the conflict. 

Here’s what we know about Pickaxe Mountain:

WHERE IS IT?

Pickaxe Mountain is located 220 km (140 miles) south of Tehran and 2 km (1.2 miles) from the Natanz nuclear complex.

The Natanz site, where two of Iran’s uranium enrichment plants were located, was bombed during the war started by the United States and Israel on February 28, and during last year’s 12-day war. 

The tunnel facility under construction at Pickaxe Mountain wasn’t targeted in either of those wars, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a U.S.-based think-tank focused on nuclear non-proliferation.

The peak rises to some 1,600 metres above sea level.

There were two enrichment plants in operation at Natanz – one above and one below ground. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said the above-ground one was destroyed. The other, underground one was likely at least badly damaged.

WHAT’S THE HISTORY OF THE SITE?

The site is linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, which has long caused tension between the West and Iran, which denies seeking an atomic bomb.

Construction of the facility at Pickaxe Mountain began in 2020, according to ISIS, following what Iranian authorities reported at the time as an explosion caused by an act of sabotage at the Natanz facility.

Iran said at the time the Natanz sabotage had caused significant damage that could slow the development of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges.

In September that year, Iran’s then-nuclear chief,  Ali Akbar Salehi, said Iran had started building “a more modern, larger and more comprehensive hall in all dimensions in the heart of the mountain near Natanz” for making advanced centrifuges.

Rafael Grossi, the chief of the U.N. nuclear ​watchdog, in an interview with PBS Frontline in March, noted that Iran had previously announced its intention to have nuclear activity at Pickaxe Mountain.

“This was part of their quite systematic intention to put their most sensitive facilities underground,” he said.

WHAT HAS IRAN BUILT THERE?

ISIS, which has analyzed satellite imagery of the site, says it features two pairs of entrances, which are assumed to lead to one facility estimated to be at least 100 metres under the mountain.

The physical defensive measures consist primarily of a large security perimeter and the extensive hardening of tunnel entrances, ISIS said in a July 14 report.

The pair of eastern tunnel portal entrances have been partially backfilled since the wars to obstruct ground vehicle access but they have not been sealed fully, the ISIS report said. 

Sam Lair, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, who also reviewed recent satellite imagery of the site, told Reuters that increasing the strength of the tunnel entrances would complicate “targeting with penetrating munitions like bunker busters”. 

IS THE SITE FUNCTIONING AND WHAT COULD IT BE USED FOR?

Trump, in his July 13 remarks, said Washington was watching Pickaxe Mountain closely.

“We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,” he said.

ISIS, in its report, said its assessment “is that the facility is not yet operational, but construction continues”, and that it was unclear when it could be operational, based on satellite imagery alone.

“It is also unclear if Iran still plans on installing a large-scale assembly facility, given the destruction of Iran’s centrifuge program, including Iran’s ability to make centrifuge components needed for an assembly plant.

“Nonetheless, if Iran starts to rebuild its centrifuge manufacturing capability, it could plan to install a smaller centrifuge assembly facility in Pickaxe Mountain able to serve a nuclear weapons program,” ISIS said.

HOW MIGHT THE SITE BE ATTACKED?

Experts assess the deeply buried complex is beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker buster bombs in the U.S. arsenal.

ISIS said the site “would be more suitable for ground forces to attack or sabotage”.

“However, vulnerabilities may also exist that can be exploited by deep earth penetrating weapons via aerial attacks,” it said.

Lair said: “We can infer that there are ongoing activities at Pickaxe Mountain the Iranians wish to continue but are still concerned enough about a potential attack that they are taking steps to bolster their defenses.”

(Additional reporting by Catherine Cartier; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

By Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou

LONDON/ATHENS, July 15 (Reuters) – Shipping companies are avoiding using a U.S. military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz after a wave of Iranian attacks on vessels sparked safety concerns, seven maritime security and shipping industry sources said.

For decades ships sailed into and out of the Gulf using a safe set of lanes down the middle of the strait established by the U.N.’s shipping agency in 1968 dubbed the Traffic Separation Scheme.

Since the Iran war began on February 28, Iranian forces have mined this area, forcing vessels to use one of two makeshift routes close to either the Iranian or Omani coast.

HELPING GULF ENERGY EXPORTS KEEP FLOWING

In June, Reuters reported that the U.S. military had helped vessels through as part of an operation involving scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters to guide tankers. 

The U.S.-assisted initiative enabled the export of tens of millions of barrels of oil, helping dampen the impact on energy prices of the largest-ever disruption in oil and gas supplies.

Yet shippers are evaluating the route on the Omani side of the strait as increasingly dangerous after a wave of attacks on ships.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday claimed responsibility for attacks on two Emirati oil supertankers.

Some five ships have been attacked since July 7 – three crude supertankers, one LNG tanker and one container ship – in Omani waters that fell under the U.S. scheme, according to analysis of incidents based on data from the U.N.’s shipping agency.

It was unclear if all the ships were sailing under the U.S. scheme, the sources said.

“The U.S. doesn’t seem to have any control over the situation,” one shipping source said, adding that their company had opted not to sail through the strait due to crew safety concerns and the deteriorating security situation.

“Iran’s continued ability to target ships sailing through the Omani route means the Trump administration’s proposed solution to keep ships moving is unlikely to work,” said Torbjorn Solvedt, principal Middle East analyst with risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.

White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ESCALATION AS U.S. REIMPOSES BLOCKADE

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said in the past seven days more than 100 vessels had directly coordinated with the U.S. military to pass through the strait and over 300 had passed through the region more generally, evidence that the U.S.-led efforts were working, even if volumes remain below pre-war levels.

Iran threatened on Wednesday to shut off more regional energy exports, after the U.S. re-imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and both sides launched more strikes as they vie for control of the strait.    

Tehran is signaling it may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab el-Mandeb, which leads into the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world’s most vital shipping arteries at risk.

Around nine Greek-operated LNG tankers, which had sailed into the Gulf via Hormuz in the past week to load cargoes, were stuck inside the strait due to the security concerns, another shipping source said.

Two further tankers have been attacked since July 7 in open waters outside the strait.

STRAIT IS OPEN, TRUMP SAYS

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz “is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran”.

The U.S. reimposed its blockade on Iran-linked shipping on Tuesday.

Last week the U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center raised its grading on the risks to ships in the strait to “severe” from “substantial” and one below its highest level, “critical”. 

The raised risk rating followed attacks on three tankers.

In a note issued by the U.S. Navy after the U.S.-coordinated scheme was launched last month, companies were advised that efforts would be made to advise ship crews “but may not be able to communicate threats to vessels in real-time”.

The U.S. military had not provided enough clarity on the risks faced by ships sailing through the Omani route, five of the sources said.

“They have stated that the Strait of Hormuz is ‘not closed’ and remains available to use,” a maritime security source said. “This is making operators nervous and uncertain. Whilst they all have to make their own risk assessments, this is clearly not safe, so why say it is open?” 

Greek maritime security company Diaplous said in an advisory on Tuesday that the threat environment remains high and advised shipping companies to pause voyages until Saturday.

MARISKS, another Greek maritime security company, in a separate advisory, also said on Tuesday: “At this stage, there is no assurance that transits through the Strait of Hormuz can be conducted with an acceptable level of safety.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul, Renee Maltezou and Maha El Dahan, additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Idrees Ali, editing by Simon Webb and Jason Neely)

LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) – Former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is set to name interior minister Shabana Mahmood as his finance minister when he becomes prime minister next week, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing three people briefed on his thinking.

Sterling had rallied earlier on Wednesday to a one-year high against the euro on speculation that Mahmood, rather than the more left-wing energy minister Ed Miliband, would succeed Rachel Reeves when Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves office.

“Shabana is nailed down as chancellor. That’s definitely happening,” the Financial Times quoted one unnamed person briefed on Burnham’s plans as saying.

A spokesperson for Mahmood declined to comment on the report, while there was no immediate response from Burnham’s team.

The FT said a spokesperson for Burnham had declined to comment on possible ministerial appointments before they are formally announced on Monday.

Mahmood has little economic policy experience and has taken a tough line on immigration, but she is further to the right of the governing Labour Party than Miliband, whose promotion of net zero policies has been unpopular with some businesses.

(Reporting by David Milliken and Alistair Smout, editing by Sam Tabahriti)

MEXICO CITY, July 15 (Reuters) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday rejected comments from the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who said there is “a deadly connection” between the Mexican government and the country’s drug cartels, calling the remarks “unfortunate” and baseless.

  DEA Administrator Terry Cole on Tuesday said the Mexican government and cartel networks were “one in the same” and the agency’s “number one priority.” 

 In her daily press conference, Sheinbaum said the remarks seemed “a very unfortunate statement.”  “It seems more like a political statement than one backed by evidence.,” she added. 

Sheinbaum said the DEA should focus its efforts on combating drug trafficking, distribution, and money laundering within the United States, which she described as the world’s largest market for illicit drugs.

On Tuesday, the Mexican government issued a formal statement rejecting Cole’s remarks, calling them inconsistent with the results of its anti-cartel efforts. The statement reiterated Mexico’s willingness to cooperate with Washington, provided such collaboration respects Mexican sovereignty.

The spat comes amid worsening relations between the U.S. and Mexico, with a U.S. indictment of Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha in April triggering a strong rebuke from Sheinbaum’s government which has said there is not enough evidence to execute a warrant for his arrest.

This week, Mexico also filed criminal complaints with U.S. prosecutors over the deaths of Mexican nationals in immigration enforcement in the United States. 

(Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez and Aida Pelaez-Fernandez,Writing by Natalia Siniawski, Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer)

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s former foreign minister resigned from his parliamentary seat on Wednesday to join Chinese automaker BYD, prompting criticism over his role in facilitating substantial government subsidies to the company while in office.

Péter Szijjártó was Hungary’s top diplomat for nearly 12 years in the government of former populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He was relieved from his post after Péter Magyar’s pro-European Tisza party won a landslide election in April, but remained a member of parliament.

Magyar accused him on social media of representing “foreign interests.”

The former lawmaker wrote on Facebook that he had received “a highly prestigious offer” from the world’s top electric carmaker “to fill an international position.”

“BYD is one of the greatest success stories in the automotive industry over the past 20 years,” Szijjártó wrote. “Starting today, I will continue my work as the executive responsible for the group’s external relations and the development of new business lines.”

Szijjártó, who had been an MP since 2002, had missed most parliamentary votes since the April election and rarely appeared in public or posted on social media.

While serving in government, Szijjártó was instrumental in securing foreign investments in Hungary from Chinese companies, including his now-employer BYD, which received considerable state subsidies during his tenure.

In 2023, Szijjártó announced that BYD would open its first European factory in Hungary — allowing the conglomerate to skirt European Union import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles imposed to protect the continent’s domestic auto manufacturing sector.

Szijjártó played a central role in talks with BYD on bringing the plant to Hungary and said at the time that the decision came after 224 rounds of negotiations between the company and Hungary’s government.

He called the project “one of the largest investments in Hungarian economic history,” saying the government would provide financial incentives to BYD for building the plant, which have not been disclosed.

In 2025, Szijjártó also announced BYD would locate its European headquarters and a research and development center in Budapest and receive 20 billion forints ($63.7 million) in government assistance.

While in office, Szijjártó and Orbán opposed EU tariffs on Chinese products, sought major investment from Beijing and opened a series of Chinese EV battery manufacturing plants across the country. Orbán’s government and Beijing also jointly developed a rail corridor between Hungary and Serbia that is part of China’s “Belt and Road” global trade initiative.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar wrote on social media Wednesday that Szijjártó had “long represented foreign interests” and pointed out that he had “previously lobbied to secure massive Hungarian state subsidies” for BYD.

“In hindsight, it may now become clear even to Fidesz voters whose interests the former foreign minister of the failed Orbán government represented in connection with the … investments in the battery and automotive industries,” Magyar wrote.

While foreign minister, Szijjártó maintained close relations with Russia despite its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Breaking with nearly all of his EU counterparts, he frequently traveled to Moscow to negotiate agreements on purchasing Russian oil and gas and to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whom he referred to as his “friend.”

Szijjártó was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship in 2021 by President Vladimir Putin, one of the highest state honors a foreign citizen can receive.

He was embroiled in controversy during Hungary’s 2026 election campaign when the Washington Post reported that he made regular phone calls to Lavrov during high-level EU meetings with “live reports on what’s been discussed.”

Szijjártó dismissed the report while acknowledging that he conferred with Lavrov before and after EU foreign minister meetings about their agenda and decisions.

In March, Orbán’s government filed espionage charges against a prominent Hungarian investigative journalist for activities he engaged in while investigating Szijjártó’s communications with Lavrov. Those charges were dropped after Hungary’s new government took office.