– Europe is playing with fire, as we are balancing on the border between peace and war, PM Viktor Orban told Hungary's public Kossuth Radio is his Friday morning interview. Mr Orban recalled that in 1999, when Hungary joined NATO, the organization decided to attack Serbia and America made efforts to decide what our country should do, which the prime minister rejected, avoiding a war between Serbia and Hungary.
– We must be in our senses, PM Orban emphasized, pointing out that Hungary had been forced into a war that sealed the country's future twice. He underlined that they would not allow Hungary to be forced into a war for the third time, highlighting that European leaders are drifting towards war week after week.
However, we Hungarians can see through the sieve, and we know there are always those who benefit from war, Mr Orban said, recalling how the US President and Secretary of State have already indicated that the US economy is profiting from the conflict, which means huge military orders for the American military industry. There are very serious forces behind the pro-war sentiment, Mr Orban said, adding however that the majority of people are behind peace. There is a growing number of people in Europe who feel the threat, Mr Orban said.
– Central Europe has lost on every war, while Western Europe has benefited on each and every one them. True, at a cost of suffering, he said, adding however that we, by reason of our geographical location, think differently about the issue of war.
According to PM Orban, we should reach some security guarantees with the Russians, because if the French or the Americans decide to go to war here, they'll go home later, but we cannot do that. This is our country, he stressed.
The closer we are to war, the higher the price we pay, PM Orban said, adding that Europeans are starting to experience a war surcharge in shops. After a very difficult 2023, the plan is to make 2024 a year of economic growth, he said, adding that if we were not in a war zone, our economic growth would not be 2.5 percent, but double that.
PM Orban also underlined that
the Hungarian people's deepest instincts speak against war and for peace,
adding that it takes courage and national unity to stand up for peace.
– The left is pro-war, not because they are evil, but because they are paid to be, Mr Orban noted.
– Hungary does not fall in line, which is why the West wants a change of government in our country, so that a pro-war government can be formed, PM Orban explained.
He highlighted that what's at stake in the upcoming elections is war, so the focus should not be on parties or ideologies, but on how the elected delegates relate to the issue of war. - We could have a European Parliament that pushes Europe not towards war, but towards peace. In Hungary's case, those who vote for Fidesz will vote for peace, Mr Orban said.
However, he continued,
if people vote for the left, they are voting for war. So if they want peace in Hungary, they should vote for Fidesz.
There is an ongoing struggle, with pro-war and pro-peace forces fighting each other," Mr. Orban said. "Besides the war, we have various other issues, too, such as gender. People feel that Europe is at a crossroads, but the fact that pro-war forces have been eble to make the upcoming elections consequential should be a source of confidence. A year ago, he said, more Europeans supported war than now.
Mr Orban stressed that he campaigned for EU membership and still thinks that it's better to be inside than outside the bloc. He added, however, that that EU was not what it is today. Then, there was no talk of migrant resettlements, gender, or war. That Europe produced more than 20 percent of gross domestic product, but by today, our competitors have overtaken us. So it would be wise to review these past years that we've left behind, Mr Orban said.
The desire of the Hungarian people, as well as the government, to have access to fuel at the same price as other countries in the region is a legitimate expectation, Mr Orban said.
He therefore asked Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy to reach an agreement with traders to recalculate their prices in line with the prevailing average price points in neighboring countries. Hungarian people cannot pay more than that in the future, he stressed.
German economy has been destroyed by being cut off from Russian energy, which also affects Hungary, because the German market is crucial for Hungary, Mr Orban said. Today, we have to achieve economic growth at a time when the Western European economy appears to be stagnating. The Chinese President's visit to Hungary next week is no coincidence, neither is the fact that we increased our activities in Central Asia and also revived our economic relations with Africa, he added.
So, we need to expand the Hungarian economy's capacity to act much more than we have been used to in previous decades,
– PM Orban said, in conclusion.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban was a guest on Kossuth Radio's "Good Morning, Hungary" program after 7:30 this morning, where he discussed the latest government decisions and the current state of the ongoing election campaign.
Cover photo: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban speaks on Kossuth Radio's 'Good Morning, Hungary' program in his Friday morning interview (Photo: MTI/PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)
