Tamas Sulyok is Hungary's seventh President of the Republic, and I had the opportunity to work with all seven Hungarian heads of state as prime minister, PM Viktor Orban told Hungary' public broadcaster M1 in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
Subsequently, I have some idea of what type of president is best suited for certain situations, and which president is best able to serve Hungary in a given situation, Mr Orban said. He described the recently evolved situation as "somewhat of a mess," as Hungary's previous head of state, Katalin Novak, resigned due to a clemency case.
This has also stirred people up emotionally, and I think he type of president who can best serve Hungary's interests now is one who is stable, predictable, well-known, and who can somehow convey his calmness to everyone. At the same time, his preparedness, expertise and authority are beyond question; the former head of the Hungarian Constitutional Court is such a person,
– PM Orban underlined, calling it an advantage that Tamas Sulyok is known to the country from earlier times.
The President of the Republic is elected by parliament, but I recommended the appointment of Tamas Sulyok to the majority factions, Mr Orban added.
There are quite a few outstanding individuals in Hungary who could have confidently undertaken this job, and we know their names. We discussed the options and then we cast our votes in favor of Mr Sulyok,
– the prime minister said.
Speaking about his trip to the United States, Mr Orban said he traveled to America primarily because he received an invitation from Donald Trump, and also "because there was a job to do".
Considering the fact that at present in the realm of politics US-Hungarian relations are categorically bad – despite the fact that we are allies – one of the purposes of the visit was to restore relations,
– Mr Orban stressed, adding that this is not possible with the current administration.
There is a reason for this: Washington currently has a pro-war government. We have a Democratic president and they are committed to the war. We, on the other hand, are a pro-peace government, so we are at cross purposes, Mr Orban said, emphasizing that
by contrast, President Trump was the president of peace.
In the case of Donald Trump, "what you see is what you get", because he's already been president before, so we know precisely what to expect, Mr Orban said.
In his first four years of his presidency, Mr Trump concluded wars, and he was the first president in a long while during whose term no new wars were started. So we know jsut by looking at his record that he's a man of peace, PM Orban said. Mr Trump has clearly articulated his goal to create peace in the Russia-Ukraine war, and us, Hungarians, would like nothing more than peace, a ceasefire and the conclusion of the war within the shortest time possible. “I see no determined, strong man - other than Donald Trump - who would be capable of this,
– PM Orban said.
Hungary's prime minister underscored that while Americans may not be familiar with the details of European culture and history, they grasp the crucial fact that Hungary is a neighboring country to Ukraine. The understanding is that having a war raging in your neighborhood is detrimental.
So they are aware that, driven by our natural national interests, we are committed to peace. This is why they can rely on our support in achieving peace,
– he stressed.
He pointed out that
Donald Trump has "quite detailed plans" on how to bring an end to this war. His plans coincide with Hungary's interests.
The prime minister also highlighted that we are in a special situation in terms of how we Hungarians are perceived by the Americans.
"I met not only with the president, but also delivered an address at the Heritage Foundation. This is the institute that writes Donald Trump's program, the foundation that designs the detailed policy program for the president, and they also recruit the staff for the future US administration. And Hungary has a distinguished place with them," Mr Orban said.
In America, they look upon Hungary as a special place. A place that's different. They take the view that Europe is a big liberal, progressive ocean, and in that there is an island called Hungary, a country that tries to live, think and behave differently; to pursue conservative politics, to put it in the language they use.
Hungary is held in high esteem in the United States today because it has done things that they, too, would like to do; except there, it just does not work, he added.
As an example, the prime minister mentioned public security as something that over here in Hungary, we take for granted, and added that Hungary is respected in the United States because "we are Europe’s safest country". "Because here people don't speak out against the police like in the US, they don't talk about the rights of the criminals, but about the rights of the victims," he noted.
We are increasing the number of police officers, tightening the criminal code, and since 2010 we have restored public order to the point where we're the safest country in Europe, as recognized by everyone in America, which is fantastic for us, of course.
Touching on the issue of illegal migration, Viktor Orban said that
the Americans, too, would like to stop migration, except they are unable to. The incumbent president does not even want to, but even Mr Trump ran into difficulties when he did want to. Hungary is a place in Europe where we say that migration is a dangerous thing, crossing the border illegally is a crime, you have no right to stay in Hungary, if you entered illegally, and we will send you back. You cannot apply for asylum here if you entered the country illegally, but you have to do that at one of Hungary's embassies and wait outside of the country.
PM Orban added that this is viewed as an example in the United States, because "there, millions of illegal immigrants are flowing in. It's a huge problem in America. Here, this is an issue that we've solved."
This is also the case with the family, the Hungarian premier noted, adding that "Hungary stands up for family values and that we protect family values in the constitution, while everyone all over Western Europe keeps talking about LGBTQ nonsense. This earns respect for us in America, we are doing better in terms of recognition and prestige than we tend to believe."
... since George Bush Senior, I've met with every US president in person. I've known them all, and we had a way to relate to their policies. Since Bush up to the current Democratic administration, we have met, if nowhere else, then regularly at NATO summits. The Republicans understand that at present, US-Hungarian relations are undergoing a hard time because the US government expects things from Hungary that we don’t want and are unable to deliver on.
They expect Hungary to joint the war effort, “but we don’t want to get involved in the war,” PM Orban stressed, noting that a similar divergence of opinion exists on other issues such as migration and LGBTQ rights.
In Viktor Orban’s view, the incumbent US administration has come to the conclusion that they are unable to come to an agreement with the current Hungarian government, and so
the only solution is to replace us,
Viktor Orban added.
And to this end, the current US administration openly finances the left-wing opposition, left-wing journalists, left-wing media, left-wing NGOs, and strengthens them in order to achieve a change of government. This evidently spoils relations.
"We are allies, not servants," he stated, noting that the Republicans also perceive that things are not going the right way, and that it carries economic costs.
So another very important issue we discussed with President Trump was how to give a new and big boost to US-Hungarian economic cooperation,
the prime minister highlighted.
Asked about Donald Trump's criticism of NATO members, saying that those who do not pay are not entitled to protection, Viktor Orban pointed out that this was not a criticism.
What it is about is more than a criticism. Mr Trump has a clear idea with which it is very difficult to disagree. He says the following: first of all, he will not put a penny into the Russia-Ukraine war. And so the war will end, because Ukraine obviously cannot stand on its own feet. If the Americans don't give money and weapons, along with the Europeans, then the war will come to an end. And if the Americans don't give any money, the Europeans alone are unable to finance this war. And then the war will draw to an end.
The US does not want to finance Europe’s security, that’s what it is all about, Mr Orban added.
"If the Europeans are afraid of the Russians, or want a high level of security in general, they should pay for it. They should either build their own army, have their own equipment, or if they use the Americans instead, then they should pay the Americans the price, the price of security. So what he says is straightforward and clear," the prime minister said.
PM Orban noted that the invitation to Florida was a familial one. He said that it is a great help for Hungary that Donald Trump's wife is Slovenian, so her husband has more knowledge of the region than the average American.
According to Mr Orban, there is no discrepancy between what we see and reality: the president lives the way he is, and his family is just like it is in reality. Mr Trump has the specialty that "he was a legend" already before his presidency, he said.
Speaking about the US presidential campaign, PM Orban said that the plans to prohibit a person from running as a presidential candidate would fit into the category of dictatorship tools, which is something "unworthy of American democracy". In is experience, “you can only win if you have suffered for it," and Mr Trump is "suffering for it like nobody’s business" because what he has to go through is unprecedented.
Viktor Orban is certain, however, that someone who goes through everything that Mr Trump is going through – they want to lock him up, they want to sue him, they want to take his money away, they want to disqualify him from the presidential race – but nonetheless keeps fighting and enters the race will – similar to the heroes in Hungarian folk tales – eventually win.
PM Orban highlighted that Mr Trump’s election as president would also be meaningful from an economic point of view. Today in Hungary, there are US investments worth nine billion euros, and trade between the two countries also amounts to more or less the same. On this, we make a profit of three billion euros. However, the fact that the incumbent US administration has repealed the legal act on the avoidance of double taxation and has failed to adopt a new one is a major obstacle to the strengthening of relations.
Mr Orban described the doubling of the trade volume of nine billion euros as a realistic goal. It would mean a great deal to the Hungarian economy if the United States as an ally and friendly country regarded Hungary as a priority economic and investment destination as well, and by this the Hungarian people would also gain much.
If Joe Biden were to win, "that would be bad news,"
Viktor Orban added.
He also said that although not at the meeting with Mr Trump, but during the panel discussion in Washington, Hungary’s role as a bridge between East and West emerged as an important question.
At present in Hungary, German investments amount to 25 billion euros, US investments are in the magnitude of nine, so are Chinese investments, while South Korean investments total six billion euros.
Today, Chinese and US investments are on a par. However, Chinese investments are increasing, while US investments have come to a halt. Therefore, if the United States wants to keep up with China, they must increase their investments in Hungary,
he pointed out.
Mr Orban believes there is a chance that, following his election, Mr Trump might conclude a trade agreement with China. It would be good for Hungary if German, Chinese, South Korean and US capital were able to cooperate within the country, while with an increase in the volume of investments, the welfare of Hungarians would also improve, he added.
Cover photo: Viktor Orban interviewed live on air by public broadcaster M1 (Photo: Hungarian PM's Press Office: Vivien Cher Benko)
