The Coronavirus has been spreading rapidly in various locations around the world. Including across the European continent. Among the countries impacted hard in recent weeks in Hungary.
One of the most high-profile Hungarians to have tested positive for COVID-19 is Peter Szijjarto. ABC said the diagnosis was announced on November 4. Details came in an official government statement. However, in a twist, it wasn't the Hungarian government that gave them.
Szijjarto diagnosed with COVID-19 while in Thailand
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reportedly caught the novel coronavirus.
It was discovered when he and other Hungarian delegation members were on an official visit to Thailand.
Before he was scheduled to meet with Thailand's prime minister and foreign minister, Szijjarto was tested for COVID-19. And as the Associated Press indicates, he tested positive for it. Apparently twice, in fact. Thai Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced the news.
Szijjarto was taken to Thailand's famed Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute to begin treatment. Arrangements also began being made to try to transport him back to Hungary. Travel arrangements were also made for the other members of the Hungarian delegation. But they had to be separated from Szijjarto.
The foreign minister expressed gratitude for the help from Thai officials. He also indicated that he'd begun feeling ill. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone," Szijjarto said.
Szijjarto didn't end up meeting with Thailand's prime minister or foreign minister; contact tracing could still be an issue. He had also made stops in Cambodia and Vietnam.
In Vietnam, he made a number of public appearances. And in Cambodia, he met with several high-ranking politicians, including Prime Minister Hun Sen. Apparently along with Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon, and Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak.
Peter Szijjarto has been the foreign minister since 2014
Peter Szijjarto began his political career when he was around 20 years old. It was then that he was elected to Municipal Assembly for Gyor in northwestern Hungary. He had previously graduated from what was then the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration.
In 2002, he was elected to Hungary's National Assembly and became its youngest member at the time. Positions he has held since then include spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Szijjarto took over as the foreign minister in 2014. His predecessor was former Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics. Navracsics was briefly foreign minister before resigning. He then became the European commissioner for education, culture, youth, and sport.
