The Prime Minister said that today those supporting immigration are in an overwhelming majority both in the European Parliament and in the European Commission, and that they “represent a major problem for democracy”, as they stand for something which the European people do not want.

Mr. Orbán said that Europeans expect their leaders to come clean and state whether they see migration as something which is good or bad. In his view, the core conclusion is that migration is bad, because in fact it means population replacement.

“Ever fewer Europeans are being born, and ever more outsiders are being brought here. This will change our culture, and within a year or two we will not recognise our own village, our own town, our own country or our own continent”, he said.

He added that attempts to restrict migration cannot be enacted by those who do not clearly state that migration is a negative phenomenon, and who do not thereby declare that they “are on the people’s side”: such people will not be able to gain people’s trust.

There are countries in Europe, the Prime Minister continued, where politicians do not dare to represent the people’s opinion. However, he said, “this is not typical of us”, and “if we are attacked, everyone can rest assured that we shall respond in kind”.

Mr. Orbán also spoke about the speeches delivered at the UN General Assembly and accompanying events held in New York, and two speeches in particular: one by European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos; and another by US president Donald Trump.

Regarding the former, he said that, after all, “this Greek man is our employee, we pay him, and so his duty as a member of the European Commission is to represent us”. If he is unable to represent every EU Member State, Mr. Orbán observed, he should refrain from voicing opinions in the name of the European Union, because this raises a major problem for democracy.

The Prime Minister noted that in New York the Greek commissioner had said that migration is good, it must continue, and a migrant resettlement programme must be implemented. The Prime Minister said that the Commissioner for Migration had not received authorisation from anyone to make such statements. Mr. Orbán reiterated that he regards this as a problem for democracy: the Greek commissioner stated an opinion which is diametrically opposed to the position of some EU Member States.

“It is no wonder that there are many of us on this continent who are looking forward to the European Parliament elections next May, so that we can finally send people like him packing”, he said.

In answer to a question, he said that in May he also hopes to see the departure of Federica Mogherini: the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

He also observed that the United Nations is not a favourable arena for Hungary with regard to the issue of migration, because worldwide the countries of origin for migrants are in the majority, and this ratio is clearly reflected in the UN. As a result, he said, “we indigenous Europeans are naturally in the minority”. It is therefore not easy to staunchly represent the Hungarian position, the Prime Minister added, but luckily this is not difficult for Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó.

Regarding Donald Trump’s speech, Mr. Orbán said that the US president stands “as a manifestation, as an icon” of a specific position. Earlier, he argued, the United States seemed to look upon itself as the sole possessor of the “philosopher’s stone” on the matter of how to live, and sought to impose this on the world – including on Hungary. In this regard, he recalled former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s term in office, saying that “I cannot begin to tell you how much I suffered”.

However, listening to Donald Trump, he continued, it seems that the Americans saw that past approach as taking on the role of improving the world, which in fact ran counter to their own national interests.

According to the Prime Minister, now that this has been acknowledged, there is no longer any need to look upon the United States as in the past: there is now no need to mount a defence against it and its unwarranted attempts at exerting cultural influence, but “we can try to establish a partnership on the basis of interests”.

Turning to domestic politics, Mr. Orbán said that on Friday afternoon he would like to finalise the list of questions for the planned national consultation on demographic issues.

He stated that in the EU demography is a science of numbers: if there is a shortage of people, “they should be replaced with people from elsewhere”: from Africa or Asia. Hungary, however, “does not need numbers, but Hungarian people”, he said, adding that in order to have more children, the need is for families, and for families the need is for mothers and fathers: “If possible, one man and one woman.” He said that the goal is to see the birth of every child which parents plan to have.

There will be a pension premium again this year

The Prime Minister confirmed that there will be a pension premium again this year.

He said that Minister of Finance Mihály Varga had informed him on Thursday afternoon that, on the basis of economic data, it is absolutely clear that there will be a pension premium at the end of the year, in November: the country’s economic growth has reached a level at which this is due to pensioners.