Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political director, told public radio that if Hungary accepts the model Brussels “offers” on migration, the war in Ukraine and “how our children should be raised”, the country would “cease to exist” in a few decades.
Referring to the prime minister’s speech at the weekend party congress of ruling Fidesz, Balázs Orbán rejected the notion that Hungary was a country that constantly said “no”. Rather, it had developed a “European counter-model” showing that “it is possible to set different government policies and operate a successful country”, he said. The two models can exist in Europe simultaneously, Orbán said, adding, however, that “we would obviously be glad if an increasing number of countries were proud of their sovereignty, and define supporting families and enhancing competitiveness as future political priorities … instead of sanctions”. As regards “big issues”, he said Hungarians and the majority of people in other countries in Europe shared the position represented by the Hungarian government. “If you ask people whether they want to get dragged into a war with Russia or to have illegal migrants in their own country, they will clearly say ‘no’. And if asked whether they want Ukraine and Russia to make peace, the answer in most countries is ‘yes’,” he said. “Hungary is today the voice of the European people,” Orbán said, adding that only Hungary was able “to consistently express the opinion of the European majority on a government level”.