US sanctions have been abolished against a close associate of Orban

Antal Rogan, one of the closest of Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, was removed from the list of US sanctioned because « the continuation of the inclusion (there) is contrary to the interests of the US foreign policy. »

This was announced by State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce after a conversation by Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Foreign Minister Peter Siarto.

It was handed over to Budapest the termination of sanctions and discussed « ways to strengthen the coherence between the US and Hungary on critical issues and opportunities for economic cooperation. »

Antal Rogan’s name is no longer on the list of specially designated citizens and blocked persons of the US Department of Finance, where it was added in early January. In the ministry’s official statement there is no justification for the decision.

Shortly after the official announcement, Siarto wrote on Facebook that this clearly proved that new winds were blowing in Washington. According to him, the previous US administration has taken several measures against Hungary « by absolute revanchism », and Rogan’s sanctioning was « political revenge by an ambassador leaving Budapest disappointed. »

SDN List (Special Designated NationalS and Blaock Persons List) is an official list of sanctions maintained by the Foreign Assets Control Office (OFAC), a division of the Ministry of Finance. It includes persons, companies and organizations that the US government has put under financial and economic sanctions for various reasons. In the United States, it is forbidden to do business with those on the list. OFAC regularly updates the list according to international sanctions and political situations.

The formula « contrary to the interests of the US foreign policy » used by Rubio, the fact that the decision is most likely personal to President Donald Trump, who has by law has such powers.