He said he believes that Asia boasts a demographic advantage, as well as a technological advantage and the advantage of having capital, and the West has ushered Russia into this. He said the process began in 2001 when China was admitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and he believes that Donald Trump's attempt will be the last to try and maintain the global leading role of the US.
According to Mr. Orban, the goal of the US is to rebuild North America, adding that its place in the world will become less important.
The Americans are building up their ability to draw in capital from basically everywhere, and they'll squeeze the price of everything out of everyone. The US will make everyone pay for the price of defense,
Mr. Orban said, adding that it will give up on its idea of "exporting democracy."
Skanzen or autonomy
Regarding Europe's response to the change in the world order, one response is that the continent remains subordinated to the US. The other option is strategic autonomy and thus entering the race,
Mr. Orban added.
He said the EU must abandon itself as a political project while strengthening itself economically and militarily. In his opinion, Ukraine will revert to the role of a buffer state, and the Polish experiment will fail.
What should Hungary do?
PM Orban then began to elaborate on what he thinks Hungary should do. He recalled
that five hundred years ago, Europe was the winner of the transformation of the world order, while Hungary was its loser: we were unable to enter the new economic space, and Islam's conquest turned us into a war zone.
As we were unable to break free from this situation on our own, we had to integrate into a German-Habsburg world.
Although the Hungarian elite understood what was happening, it had no tools or means to prepare society. King Matthias attempted to conquer the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (in short: German Empire), and Tamas Bakocz became a papal candidate, but these attempts ultimately failed. This is why the Battle of Mohacs became a symbol of Hungary's failure, and that's when the Western powers rose up,
Mr. Orban explained, pointing out the connection.
Regarding the current situation, he underlined that we'll either have to swim with the EU and the US, or we'll have to go our own way, pursuing a national policy.
Mr. Orban favors the latter, but whether or not he has the necessary prerequisites remains a question.
Developments in the US are unfolding in our favor, but we have no better option than EU membership. However, the US offer must be considered. We have received the maximum offer from China, but China is far away, and our country's EU membership—even if it limits us—is of value to them.
When the mouse is called to dance by the lions, it must always pay more heed. The Chinese offer announced during the May visit means investment, resources, and a stake in the market there,
PM Orban said.
EU loses out, change in the world order is coming
PM Orban believes that the EU has lost the war and it will have to pay its price. The price, he said, will be high and it will have a negative impact on our country.
If there's a change in the existing world order, then our country needs a suitable Hungarian grand strategy. And we have it,
Mr. Orban said.
A Hungarian grand strategy in the making
Following the elections in 2022, the government began to draw up a Hungarian grand strategy.
We joined Trump's team in writing the agenda, Hungary's National Bank (MNB) has aligned the Chinese and Asian banks, and we've also set up camp in Brussels with the EU ministry. The strategy is not yet in good shape, as its language is way too intellectual, so it needs another six months to get into the right shape,
Mr. Orban remarked.
He briefly outlined that
the essence of the Hungarian grand strategy is connectivity, so Hungary must be present in both the eastern and western economies, therefore it will not participate in the formation of blocs. The second chapter revolves around national sovereignty as its core.
Hungary has 15,000 internationally competitive mid-sized companies, compared to only 3,000 in 2010. Strengthening financial independence is an essential element of sovereignty, with Hungary already providing sovereign loans to friendly countries in the region. It must remain production-oriented rather than service-oriented, although services are also essential. We must not make the same mistake as the West, where certain jobs are done by guest workers, as this could trigger a decomposition that will be difficult to stop,
Hungary's prime minister said.
Mr. Orban underlined that
as part of Hungary's grand strategy, society must be stable yet flexible, and we must stop its demographic decline. By 2035, the country must become demographically self-sufficient.
If they can draft a peace budget, then child-related tax benefits should also be doubled. We must welcome those who, coming from the West, wish to live in a Christian country, and now we can select at will. Hungary's village scheme must be preserved, but we must provide urban services and establish towns and rural areas surrounding these, while preserving the historical significance of the village,
Mr. Orban said, outlining the individual elements of the plan.
The prime minister emphasized that
the essence of protecting sovereignty is that we must not assimilate. We must preserve our own character and language, and avoid becoming a so-called zero-religion state, which means we do not recognize same-sex marriages.
During their fight for the family, Christianity must at least serve as a moral guide for our community,
he said, warning against the religious zero state that we now see in the West.
Additionally, Hungary's grand strategy must be based on national pillars and include all Hungarian-inhabited areas. As a framework, "Little Hungary" is considered insufficient. All support that serves the stability and demographic development of Hungarians must be extended to Hungarian-inhabited areas outside the country's borders.
We're seeking young fighters with courage and strong patriotic sentiments
According to PM Orban, the common essence on which the grand strategy must be built is freedom, including the freedom of the individual.
This must also be the starting point for the policy that will lead the grand strategy to victory, he added, indicating that this would take 20-25 years. He remarked that attacks from political opponents on Hungary's grand strategy will be constant, as they'll seek to achieve integration.
The opponent lines up, spurred on by the liberal zeitgeist. The national camp, on the other hand, will only emerge at the sound of a trumpet, so we are looking for young fighters with courage and strong patrioti sentiments,
Mr. Orban said, concluding his speech.
In response to questions from the audience, Mr. Orban pointed out that the West interprets the world differently than us.
The reason for all troubles is that they think of the nation as a temporary construct, a phenomenon that belongs to previous centuries. When the nation goes out from under their feet, they see it as a different form of existence bringing new possibilities, which they are trying to shape. For us, this is incomprehensible, but we must try to comprehend because we will coexist with them for decades to come. Until now, they were the ones selecting our workers, and now we're the ones to choose from those who want to come here. We have to find partners in them. This is the most beautiful part of politics, in the intellectual sense,
Mr. Orban said, recalling that
they hated both the communist dictatorship and the occupation, but - on an intellectual level - it was all exciting.
Responding to a question, he said he had no idea whether his wife would ever listen to his speeches, adding that she usually promises to.
Regarding the opening ceremony of the Olympics, he said he would caution for calm.
Let's not offend the French, even if we feel offended by what we have seen, as they are going to be our allies. Moreover, there is a great overlap between Macron's strategy and the idea of national sovereignty. After all, every nation has the right to showcase itself, and this is what we saw,
he added.
In keeping with tradition, Viktor Orban gave a speech at the Balvanyos Free University (Tusvanyos) on Saturday. The Hungarian prime minister spoke about the most important political challenges ahead, about strategy formulation and the opportunities facing Hungary.
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Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (center) gives a speech at last year's Balvanyos Summer Free University and Student Camp (Tusvanyos), (left) Zsolt Nemeth, Fidesz chairman of the Hungarian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, and (right) Laszlo Tokes, chairman of the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania (EMNT/CNMT) (Photo: Mate Bach)