Viktor Orbán believes winter will be harder than most think

Viktor Orbán travelled to Serbia where, along with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, he opened the 89th Novi Sad (Újvidék) International Agricultural Fair – Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister's press chief, informed MTI.

“Winter will be harder than most think,” – warned the Hungarian Prime Minister according to the Pannon RTV television report.

Viktor Orbán said that despite surging inflation and the threat of famine, Hungary and Serbia are secure. He emphasized that the countries are cooperating in order to supply each other with any goods in the case of shortages.

PM Viktor Orbán told the Serbian President that,

“It is difficult for you because you are not an EU member but it is difficult for us because we are.”

“It is tricky to be smart here,” he noted. He continued to say that no matter the debates within and outside the EU, we will do everything to align our views and help each other in international forums.

He added that, while in 2020 nurses were our heroes, in the coming period, farmers will be.

“We must ensure bread for everyone in the world so that migrants do not flood Europe again,” said the Hungarian PM. “It is an important interest for everyone in the world to have bread, because if not, enormous masses will embark to Europe on a mission not only for a better life, but to survive; then, the migration we have witnessed so far will just be child’s play compared to what is to come,” warned Viktor Orbán.

He also mentioned the criticism of the Budapest-Belgrade railway project. Now that shipping through Ukraine has become completely unreliable, this investment is worth much more.

Viktor Orbán announced that Hungary will not accept any decisions from Brussels that are economically unreasonable or would come with price increases. This would result in making it impossible to take advantage of the full capacity of our agriculture.

“Hungary is a country of ten million, but if we are clever, we can provide food for twenty million,”

– wrote MTI, quoting the PM. He continued: but for this we cannot burden the Hungarian economy with any reckless measures or sanctions against Russia that will destroy the Hungarian economy, amount to an atomic bomb. Because in this case, not only will Hungary face shortages but moreover, we will not be able to provide for those later coming to our borders as migrants.

“Politics are important, and we cannot ignore this war, but the economy requires sensible decisions, because otherwise we will have problems – and not just in Hungary and Serbia, but in other parts of the world as well,” – he said.

He also discussed the golden rule that if there is land, it must be cultivated. Land must not be left uncultivated. The orchards cannot be neglected, our work must always get done. He called for those present at the fair to never forget this golden rule because it is our job, as those residing in the countryside, to cultivate the land and the country.

According to the MTI report, PM Viktor Orbán was also escorted by Minister of Construction and Investment János Lázár and State Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar on his trip to Serbia. On the occasion of the 89th International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad (Újvidék), they also consulted with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić;

the Serbian President posted on Facebook about the meeting, calling Viktor Orbán his “dear friend”.

“The results speak for themselves,” President Vučić highlighted, referring to how Hungary and Serbia’s relations have developed in the past few years. He said:

“If Hungary is in need of anything due to the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, Serbia is prepared to help their neighbor and vice versa.”

As he explained, seven years ago, Hungary was only in seventh place in terms of trade, but today it has become Serbia’s second most important partner – demonstrating the significant improvement in relations. This proves that we have mutual trust and respect as well as common interests.

Aleksandar Vučić also pointed out that the whole world will be facing a very difficult winter this year. He emphasized that those living in Serbia have not yet felt these effects because they are provided for, but they must make all necessary preparations.

Before the fair, Aleksandar Vučić and Viktor Orbán discussed how to survive this crisis and how the two countries can help each other.

Given that both Serbia and Hungary have significant agricultural industries, they most likely will not need each other's help. But if either country suffers shortages, their neighbor is ready to help – emphasized the Serbian President.

He added that if the Ukrainian war does not come to an end, a fourth of the world will suffer serious food shortages.

Thus, it is important to secure our energy and food supply for ourselves, he said. By working together, we can make things easier for all of us. He added that Serbia aims to procure a significant amount of energy, but the country does not have enough storage capacity; so, the Hungarian Prime Minister promised that Serbia can use Hungary’s storage facilities.

He also pointed out that Hungary is one of Serbia’s closest partners.

Only those participating in the Open Balkans initiative can rival their partnership, a few other neighboring countries. He highlighted that a few days ago the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade represented Serbian interests in Brussels, which testifies to the fact that Hungary stands beside Serbia always and everywhere.

“21 countries and 1100 exhibitors are partaking in the fair this year – 80 percent of the number of participants in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic,” stated the organizers. 53 exhibitors came from Hungary to the one-week agricultural event. The Hungarian guests will have the opportunity to present at the event between May 21st and 27th, on over 1200 square meters. According to the CED Central European Economic Development Network Nonprofit Ltd, the Hungarian exhibitions will take place in three locations. Visitors interested in Hungary’s economic, spiritual, cultural, touristic, and gastronomic treasures can view them at the main national stand and in two other locations where 35 Hungarian businesses will be featured.