Orban's close man deletes the post with the map without Kosovo

Article updated at 14:35 - Balasz Orban, the political director of the cabinet of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, has deleted from social networks a photo in which he presented a regional map without including Kosovo as an independent state. 

His post on Monday sparked controversy. Orban had displayed a map showing the Olympic medals of the countries of the region. The territory of Kosovo was not marked in its borders. 

Now, Orbani's post has been removed from social networks and the Embassy of Kosovo in Hungary has announced the new photo that "reflects the Republic of Kosovo as it appears".

At noon, Orbani himself published the new map in which Kosovo can also be seen, and while congratulating the Hungarian team, he emphasized that now the data is correct. However, even though the borders are highlighted in Kosovo, the map does not show the number of medals won by Kosovar athletes.

Orban's man publishes a regional map without Kosovo 

Balazs Orban, political director of the cabinet of the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, published on Monday on the "X" social network a map of the region, without including Kosovo.

The map - which showed the number of medals won at the Olympic Games in Paris - does not show Kosovo's borders at all, even though Hungary recognizes Kosovo as an independent state.

"There is no need for words - the number of Olympic medals in the region", wrote Balazs Orban, taking pride in Hungary's 19 Olympic medals.

The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, reacted to his post. "The Hungarian government's map of Olympic medals reflects a fictitious reality. Kosovo's deserved place on the map, together with the medals won, is undeniable and is here to stay. Better luck next time with geography", replied Hoxhaj.

Kosovo, despite not being on Orbani's map, received two medals in "Paris 2024", leaving more than 130 countries behind in the general ranking.

Hungary recognizes Kosovo as a state, but at the General Assembly of the Council of Europe in April, four of its MPs voted against Kosovo's membership.

Hungary, headed by Orban as prime minister, has become a state criticized by the European Union because of the approach it took to the war in Ukraine, relations with Russia and China and efforts to protect democracy and the rule of law.