German daily Bild has recently conducted an exclusive interview with Viktor Orbán, published in two parts, with the second part having been released today. In the first part, the prime minister spoke about the Russo-Ukrainian war, including comments on Vladimir Putin’s health condition, and also stated that he does not consider the Russian President a war criminal. In the second part of the interview, the Hungarian PM was asked about his current view on the migration crisis in Europe.
‘The situation is that migration is becoming a historic challenge. We, as Europeans, are unable to find the right answer. Intellectually and conceptually, the answer is very simple. But politically, we are not in a position to provide it. The answer is, therefore, very clear: if someone wants to enter the territory of the European Union,
we must have a procedure in place.
Those who want to enter must wait outside. They have to wait for the member states to decide whether they can enter [an EU] country or not. If the decision is made and the answer is yes, they can enter; if the answer is no, they cannot. Unfortunately, as Europeans, we are not yet capable of doing this,’ Orbán Viktor replied.
The PM continued by saying that it is difficult to understand why this is the case. He pointed out that different countries have different views on migration. ‘Germans probably like migration. You are proud to have become a country of newcomers. That is your decision. In Hungary, we have a different opinion. We believe it is too risky. That is why we reject migration, especially illegal migration. And we make a clear distinction between guest workers and migrants. We have a regulation for guest workers and another one for migrants. You don’t make such a distinction because your attitude towards migration is positive. Our approach is more cautious,’ the Hungarian leader remarked.
Orbán then declared that he does not want to take a stance on the situation in Germany. ‘It is not my goal to convince you. Please accept my position on migration. Because you are German, you have your own position, your country has its own position. And I accept it, whatever your decision may be. My only request to you is:
please do not interfere with how the Hungarians want to make their own decisions!
I don’t interfere with how the Germans think about migration,’ emphasised the PM.
Following that, the Bild reporter asked the following question: ‘What is your reaction when politicians or people call you a populist or even a dictator? How do you handle it? Doesn’t it anger you when you’re called a dictator?’
‘I don’t pay any attention to that at all. Those you‘re talking about are not my voters. These statements don’t anger me; it’s part of politics. I was in opposition for sixteen years, and I have been in power for seventeen years. So, I’ve lost, won, lost again, and then came back. I call that democracy. That’s how it goes. I don’t know anyone in European politics who can boast of a similar past,’ explained Orbán, who revealed that he opposed the refugee compromise because ‘it serves as a pull factor. It sends a message to human smugglers: keep going,’ he added.
The PM also drew attention to the fact that Hungary spends over two billion euros to protect the Schengen Zone from illegal immigrants. ‘We haven’t received a single cent from Brussels. Why should we pay more? We have to spend all our money on protecting the borders, protecting Europe and Germany,’ Orbán conveyed to the German readers. He also remarked that Hungary
is the champion of the European Union in protecting external borders.
‘We have done everything to protect ourselves, Germany, Austria, and Europe. So, if I understand it correctly, we stand on the same side,’ said the prime minister, who was also asked about his opinion on Angela Merkel receiving several awards for her refugee policy in Germany. ‘I think for various reasons, she deserved the recognition because she held a very high position in the European community, and I had a lot of respect for her. But when it comes to the issue of migration, I never agreed with her,’ Orbán commented.
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