Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary is "relatively safe" in the uncertainty created by the war between Russia and Ukraine, partly thanks to NATO, and partly because the warring parties don't see the country as an enemy.
"There is a good chance that Transcarpathia will emerge from this war with the smallest damage possible," he told the 22nd Permanent Hungarian Conference (MAERT) in Budapest on Thursday.
At the same time, Europe is being rocked by uncertainty about the two months ahead until US President Donald Trump is inaugurated, he said.
"We cannot be sure of the military actions to come in the next 24 hours, or the response, or the European countries they might impact," PM Orbán said.
Regarding Hungary's policy for Hungarians across the border, PM Orbán said: "Our opponents after the first world war decided that Hungary should be small and poor. In 2010, we decided Hungary should be great and rich. Our policy is aiming to achieve that, we are working for that."
The prime minister added: "We Hungarians must think of finding our own way based on our own logic and interests" because Europe is currently unable to come up with a strategy that would restore its competitiveness.
PM Orbán said the declaration signed in Budapest at the European Council summit earlier in November was the "last chance", which must be followed by "noticeable change" within 6 months, he said. Otherwise, European competitiveness may fall below the point where it could still catch up with others, he said.
"Europe has lost its way", and the report by former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi has clearly shown that without "brave new political decisions in Europe", the distance between the bloc and rising economic and political hubs of the world will grow exponentially, PM Orbán said.