After meeting Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that in the coming years, Hungary can count on Austria and vice versa.
“In easy times, friendship is easy; when times are hard, friendship is harder,” the prime minister told a joint press conference. In the current “hard times”, he added, it was a question of whether “a special, historical friendship between the two nations will help resolve issues of war, migration, energy and economic cooperation.” In light of Thursday’s talks, “we can say that we can rely on Austria in the next few years, and vice versa,” the prime minister said.
On the subject of nuclear energy, Orbán said he saw no chance of seeing eye to eye with Austria because “we do not have such rivers and opportunities as our Austrian friends do”, and Hungary cannot go without nuclear energy. While differences persist, the two countries will “try and cooperate and provide mutual security guarantees”, PM Orbán said. Concerning the war in Ukraine, PM Orbán said “it cannot be won in its current form”, and he called for a different strategy, “otherwise there’ll be no peace”.
Photo credit: MTI