PM Orban: I'm considered a black sheep in Europe

Hungary's prime minister also revealed how he became friends with Silvio Berlusconi.

The Hungarian government is democratic and acting in accordance with the will of the people, while Brussels is taking orders from a Soviet-style leadership, PM Viktor Orban told the Italian daily Libero in an interview on Friday. Mr Orban underlined that 

"we are considered the black sheep" in the European Union, "but this isn't a problem for us, Hungarians. We've always been outside the chorus, even when we were behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet Union, and we were the first to fight for freedom."

PM Orban spoke to the Italian paper on the occasion of the funeral of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the president of the Forza Italia (FI) party, which took place on Wednesday. 

The beginning of a friendship

He said he saw the interview as a chance to defend his friend against the Left that will continue to attack Mr Berlusconi even after his death. He said that since the autumn of 1993 he had been friends with Mr Berlusconi, who was an entrepreneur at the time, and who approached him because he wanted to enter politics. Mr Orban recalled that 30 years ago, Silvio Berlusconi had contacted the political leaders that he found the most interesting, to learn the tricks of politics, as a profession: "I had reservations at first, but he lured me in with a spicy bait, inviting me to AC Milan's training center in Milanello and promising me lunch with Van Basten and Capello."

PM Orban recalled how Mr Berlusconi had told him that he wanted to learn from politicians who think outside the box.

He added that Silvio Berlusconi had a very similar mindset to his in terms of the Ukraine war, as well as about Europe, which had overthrown Mr Berlusconi's former government, universally known as pro-European, through various maneuvers because Mr Berlusconi refused to bow his head to German and Dutch rules. Currently anyone who takes a different view on the war in Ukraine from US President Joe Biden is branded as a Putinist, he added. He said his assessment of the situation was like that of Pope Francis, except that "our voice is in the minority in Europe."

The hope of peace

He noted that whereas Italy is far from the Ukrainian border and can only sense the distant heat of the bombings in Ukraine, Hungary can burn.

He stressed that members of the 200,000-strong Hungarian community in Ukraine are being called up for military service and sacrificing their lives, while Hungary has taken in a million refugees.

Mr Orban underlined that there was little hope for peace, because the West, and "I would even say the United States, wants to defeat Russia and sees Ukraine as a tool to do so. And nobody in Europe is opening their mouths, except us, because they don't want to challenge Washington." However, "the silent majority thinks as I do, and I am convinced that the mood will change in a few months. I already see the first signs of that," he added.

I am considered a black sheep inEurope, because I represent freedom and peace,

− PM Orban said. Whereas we have democracy in Budapest and the government follows the will of the people, Brussels is characterized by a Soviet-style leadership, Mr Orban said. He added that if this did not change, Europe would end up being a loser. We cannot continue to pretend that there aren't any new economic models that are more efficient and competitive than the ones of the 1960s and 1970s, which Europe still clings on to today, he said.

Does everyone lose against Brussels?

Mr Berlusconi has tried to change Europe, but has failed against Brussels, against which everyone tends to lose, except for Berlin and The Hague, PM Orban said.

I'll try and maybe I will have better luck. We are a small country and our public debt is far from being sky-high, so we can apply different recipes to the ones that the EU is imposing on its big member states,

− Viktor Orban said. He noted that Hungary is under attack regarding the rule of law, because Brussels does not share the sovereign nature of the Hungarian economy.

He added that he would stay in Europe, because he believes in the dream and wants to make it a reality, exiting the current nightmare. He explained that instead of the current European Parliament, the member states should be represented by national delegations, and the overly powerful European Commission should operate in line with the decisions of the European Council, which represents the votes of European citizens. - In a year's time, the composition of the European majority will be different, he said, referring to the upcoming EP elections in 2024.

Responding to the idea that he was considered the "bad guy" in Europe, PM Orban explained that this was because we, Hungarians, cannot remain silent. We are used to speaking our minds freely, without biting our tongues, and this is where the troubles start.

With regard to migration, PM Orban stressed that the Hungarian government wants Europe to reject illegal immigration with a unified and resounding "no," and that each member state should be free to decide on its own migration policy, regardless of Brussels' instructions.

Cover photo: PM Viktor Orban at Silvio Berlusconi's funeral (Source: Facebook)