BUDAPEST - (MTI) Brussels is preparing for war, but war is not imminent and Hungary will remain on the side of peace, the Hungarian prime minister said on Friday on Kossuth radio's Good Morning Hungary programme, referring to the European Commission's proposal to give EU residents a 72-hour emergency reserve.
Orbán said he sees Brussels preparing for war. The Prime Minister stressed that this must be taken seriously, and he found it ridiculous that all European families are being told from Brussels to carry enough food for 72 hours. The Prime Minister added that he sees no threat of war in Europe at the moment. There is no doubt that there is a Russian-Ukrainian war, but it is not realistic that this war will come. There is simply no likelihood that anyone will attack a NATO member state, he noted.
Orbán stressed that if someone is preparing for war, it is because he wants to initiate a war. There are countries in the EU, and I see Brussels as their spokesman, that want to go even further "into this war", he said. He added that he feels this proposal is a political preparation for a deeper war.
Orbán told the Hungarian families that they did not have to do anything extraordinary. "There is no threat of war, Hungary will not go to war with anyone, we will remain on the side of peace, and if Europe goes to war, we will certainly not go to war," he said. According to the prime minister's assessment, we are witnessing a major transatlantic split: America is working for a ceasefire and peace, while European countries are working to continue the war.
He argues that the US peace effort should be supported wholeheartedly, and not pursue a war strategy against the US, as most European countries do. He noted, however, that there are those who disagree, notably Hungary, but, he continued, "the Slovaks are not enthusiastic either" and he sees a "wavering style" among the Italians.
The Prime Minister recalled that the Minsk Agreement was a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia and that Europe decided at the time that Germany and France would guarantee this agreement. However, the Franco-German guarantee was not enough and it turned out that Europe did not have the strength and capacity to enforce such a peace agreement, Orbán said, stressing that the solution was not war but finding someone who could enforce it. Let's face it, the Americans have to get involved, they are stronger, so they have a better chance of achieving a ceasefire and a peace they can keep.
Viktor Orbán was also asked about several protests that took place this week over the amendment to the law on assembly to protect children, and there were demonstrators outside the MTVA building where the interview took place on Friday morning. The prime minister said he saw a "provocative rivalry between the opposition parties."
He added that it is not easy for opposition parties, especially when the government is doing a lot of things and has just announced a watershed year in the economy and is changing a lot of things in politics. In such a situation, the opposition has two options: either be constructive or turn a blind eye to the whole thing and instead indulge in provocations, he added. He noted that "it would of course be nice to think" that they are also around the radio because "they are excited about our anticipated conversation, but I'm afraid that is not the case."
Stressing that it was absurd that demonstrators were even closing bridges, he said that democracy had ended in Hungary and that it was no longer possible to gather when they gathered. The events themselves contradict their claims, but that is not the point, it is a political race, there will be elections in Hungary in a year, there is a reshuffle in the opposition parties, they have problems with visibility, and because they are not constructive opponents, they compete with each other in anti-government and provocative actions, he said.
He said that closing bridges almost as a sporting exercise is not normal and that the non-demonstrating majority has the right to live normally. He said he could understand if someone objected to the law, especially if it was a "Pride-type issue," because it's a topic that he said "always makes liberals cry." But he also stressed that other people should be considered. Closing bridges is not possible under current legislation and freedom of expression is based on not unnecessarily restricting other people's lives, he added.
When asked whether the government could justify any legislative measures, the Prime Minister replied that this was under consideration. Referring to the Momentum event with smoke candles in Parliament, he pointed out that there had been an unprecedented uproar in Parliament, followed by bridge closures and road blockades. He said there was tension on the opposition side, that the government and the majority should be "sensible" and not react too nervously and that amendments to laws should be handled with care. However, he went on to say that the bridge closures may have brought with them the lesson that the interests of the undemonstrative majority should be clearly guaranteed in law.
Villages should be built, not torn down, the Prime Minister said, and villages belong not to the past but to the future. Orbán said villages are a great tradition and a great resource for Hungary. A Hungarian village is an eco-social unit where - especially in the past - all the conditions for a good life existed, he said. The prime minister described the Hungarian Village Programme as one of the most successful initiatives and pointed out that since its launch, the population decline in 1,200 villages has been halted.
The programme has been running for five years, schools, nurseries and cemeteries have been restored and now new elements are being added. Convenience stores are a recurring problem: if there is no store, it is difficult to live in the village. Pubs and churches are also being rebuilt and ATMs are very important so that every village has access to cash," he said. He added that good things can come out of the meeting of the government's will and people's instincts for village life.
The Prime Minister described the Hungarian villages programme as one of the most successful initiatives and stressed that since its launch, the population decline in 1 200 villages has been halted. The programme has been running for five years, schools, kindergartens and cemeteries have been restored and now new elements are being added. Convenience stores are a recurring problem: if there is no store, it is difficult to live in the village. Pubs and churches are also being rebuilt and ATMs are very important so that every village has access to cash," he said. He added that good things can come out of the meeting of the government's will and people's instincts for village life.
Speaking about measures to support families, he said that the Hungarian economic system is now family-oriented and we are the first in the world to do so. The future lies in family-oriented economic systems and Hungary is the first in Europe to achieve this.
Mr Orbán said that bills to promote fertility had been submitted to Parliament, but in addition to specific measures, he also pointed out that Hungary was now entering a debate of historic proportions: what do we consider the basic unit of society, the individual or the family? Liberals see the individual as the starting point, they consider it a private matter who lives how, he reminded, adding that there is some truth in this, but it makes no difference to society at all whether children are born.
National conservatives say that the family is the fundamental element of society, of the life of a nation, and if that is so, then let us build our economic system on it, for example. Let's enable family farming, let's build our tax system on that," he said. He expects the Western world to realise that if it does not give families the respect, appreciation, support and recognition they need, they will lose something without which it is very difficult to build a happy life and a successful economic system.
In assessing the results of the price gap, he also said that the prices of 874 products had fallen by an average of 17-18 %, which is unprecedented in modern Hungarian history. After two weeks, we can say that it is working, it is a working regulatory system," he said. He added that traders will certainly try to get around the margin freeze, so checks are ongoing. "We have two or three more steps up our sleeve to respond to this," he said. He added that he would consult with Mr Zsigó on a weekly basis on the specific price situation. He pointed out that there were products where prices had not dropped by 17-18 % but by more than 50 %, such as some milks, yoghurts, sour cream and cottage cheese.
He added that the margin regulation has been announced till the end of May in the hope that by then the situation will normalise and traders will realise that they will have to make do with 10 %. There will be a big evaluation debate at the end of May on the experience and whether to go ahead or not, he said. On the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, he said that the challenge now was to prevent the spread of the disease and that we needed to work with Austria and Slovakia on this. If the outbreak became national, it would have very serious consequences, even at the level of the national economy, but for the time being it had even more serious consequences at the local level because it was causing serious difficulties for livestock workers, he said. He added that it is up to the Minister of Agriculture to help these communities so that the disease does not lead to loss of livelihood.
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