‘There is an astonishing leadership crisis in Brussels, and the effects of the past one and a half years and of the war are becoming increasingly evident,’ Balázs Orbán stated in an interview on public Kossuth radio on Tuesday morning.
Commenting on Viktor Orbán’s speech in Tusnádfürdő, the political director noted that there is no denying that Europe and the European Union are among the losers of the war. The economic figures are clear: Germany has gone into recession, industrial decline has begun, and inflation is soaring, he listed.
Brussels should emerge from this leadership crisis as soon as possible, and from this perspective,
next year will be crucial,
Balázs Orbán said, referring to the upcoming European parliamentary elections. He expressed hope that a different, more balanced approach to key issues will emerge. Hungary must strive to find allies within Europe and all around the world, he emphasised, adding that Hungary should continue to ‘fight’ and not engage in European debates passively.
He considered Hungary’s most significant strength to be the regular ‘polling’ of the popular will in major contentious issues, with millions of Hungarian citizens express their opinions. It is mandatory for the Hungarian government to represent this opinion, he stated. Balázs Orbán pointed that we have entered a very dangerous period, not only due to the war raging in the neighbourhood but also because the competition between the two superpowers, the United States and China, will be decisive in the coming decades. Historical experiences show that when there is a hegemon who alone dominates the world order and there is another emerging country, their relationship can evolve along conflict lines or peacefully. Currently, it is not clear how it will unfold, he noted.
For Europe and Hungary, it is in their interest that the new balance between the two superpowers be established through peaceful cooperation and not in war conditions. The whole of Europe should base its way of thinking on this political framework in the coming years, he opined. The political director believes that advocating peace and promoting peaceful world trade could become the breakthrough points in Hungary’s foreign policy, through which the country can achieve national goals as well.
Regarding Europe’s role in the world, the EU is divided, the political director noted. Some are of the opinion that the Union should be an auxiliary force to the United States, while the Hungarian and French position is that Europe
should behave as an independent pole and act as a mediator,
he explained.
In terms of the anticipated economic turnaround in Hungary in July, he stated that the most important thing now is to protect what has been accomplished to far, which is the 2024 budget is meant to ensure. Full employment will continue, the government will protect the real value of pensions as well as the utility cost reductions, and it will allocate the largest sums for family support in Europe, the political director listed. He added that counterbalancing the negative trends around Hungary—the Russo-Ukrainian war and the misguided sanctions policy—require much more budgetary resources than before.
In his speech in Tusnádfürdő, the PM referred to the hope that there will be a turnaround in the coming months, with prices going down, and with the restart of the economy, more resources will be available, and the country can move forward. In the short term, the government is on the defence, and in the long term, it is preparing for a new offensive period, said Balázs Orbán.
When asked about the démarche handed over by the Romanian side before the PM’s speech in Tusnádfürdő, he stated: ‘Our position is that we warmly welcome all country leaders, and here [in Hungary] they can say whatever they want, and we, Hungarians, are very proud of this freedom, and we heartily recommend that practice to others as well.’
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Source: Hungarian Conservative/Kossuth Radio/MTI
