He described this as especially disadvantageous from Hungary’s point of view, indicating at the same time that he only expects a quality change for the better after the EP elections.
Regarding the so-called migrant bank cards, the Prime Minister said that while with reference to the fight against money laundering “the authorities are continually at the throats of the European people” – recording all transactions and names – someone – it appears the European Commission – is distributing anonymous bank cards to people we know nothing about, whose intentions we are not familiar with and many of whom become terrorists and criminals, and so pose a threat to the security of the European people.
It is a legitimate question why this is happening, where the money comes from. Whether the EU provides its own money, to which the Hungarian people also contribute, he added, observing that Fidesz’s MEPs will not let this case rest, and will do everything to establish the facts. Regarding the “migrant visa”, he said this is an opening of the gates through which the flood may burst into Europe again.
The European Parliament has already voted against EU entry permits to be granted on humanitarian grounds, but they want to put it back on the agenda, and “want to force it down our throats”, Mr Orbán said.
In his view, many of the European politicians who are about to lose their mandates are undergoing “a midlife crisis”, and want to bring issues close to their hearts, such as the migrant issue, to a swift conclusion.
[1]In the context of Britain’s departure from the EU – Brexit – the Prime Minister said as Brussels was unable to keep migrants out of Europe, they were unable to keep Britain inside the European Union.
Brussels made major political mistakes which led to Brexit, the Prime Minister said. At the same time, the document which he received prior to the special EU summit due to be held on Sunday is satisfactory from a Hungarian point of view, it safeguards the interests of the Hungarians living and working in the United Kingdom, Mr Orbán said, stating that the rights of Hungarian workers will not be curtailed.
He also mentioned that there are two countries where the people are asked about issues concerning the EU: Hungary and Britain.
At the consultation and referendum held in Hungary, the Hungarians gave the answer that they want “more national sovereignty and less Brussels”, while the British went even further: they said “out of Brussels”, he concluded. At the same time, he highlighted that the Hungarian government even posted newspaper advertisements – for which it was reprimanded by the British election agency – in the interest of keeping Britain in the EU.
[2]In the radio interview, the Prime Minister was also asked about the case of former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s refugee status. Regarding this, he said there is “a complete overlap” between members of the pro-immigration forces and those who attack this case, both on a personal and organisational level.
In his view, organisations which take the Hungarian government most to task on this issue are all George Soros’s organisations, and as in Macedonia Mr Gruevski as prime minister took the toughest possible action against Soros-type networks, “they keep track of his life”.
He said Nikola Gruevski as Prime Minister of Macedonia led a key country from the viewpoint of migration, and without him it would have been much harder to protect the Hungarian border. Therefore, they have always looked upon him and his country as an ally. He pointed out that Mr Gruevski was the first politician in the Balkans to build a fence and to start detaining migrants, with which Hungary provided assistance.
“One treats one’s allies fairly. If they turn to us, they are entitled to fair treatment”, Mr Orbán stated, observing that he is pleased that this was not the first case when a former leader of another state believes that they may receive fair treatment in Hungary.
He also said that the asylum procedure is not conducted by the government, but by the relevant authority, and “the further the government distances itself from these procedures, the better”. The only duty of the government is, he said, to ensure the framework for a fair procedure, and to accept the authority’s decision. “This is what happened now.”
Regarding Nikola Gruevski’s journey to Hungary, he said that “there is an exciting story about the whole thing”, “every detective story is exciting”. He highlighted in connection with the court judgements against the former Macedonian Prime Minister that the Hungarian government does not wish to comment on them. He observed, however, that there are complicated political battles under way in Macedonia, and the judiciary is part of these. But he himself does not know what is true and what is not because it is almost impossible to determine.
“The Macedonian procedures have no bearing on us. What we are interested in is whether the application submitted here is legally well-founded, whether the authorities conducted a fair procedure, whether they observed the rules, and once they adopted a decision it must be respected”, he said, stating that they will guarantee the safety of people who have been given refugee status in Hungary.
Regarding the extradition request submitted by the Macedonians, he added that there is a legal procedure, the Hungarian authorities will examine the request and will come to a conclusion.
[3]In the context of the meetings of the Diaspora Council and the Hungarian Standing Conference held last week, Mr Orbán said that the era of one hundred years of Hungarian solitude has come to an end. Everyone has realised that “it is not unnatural to cooperate with us; in actual fact, it makes sense and even pays off”.
Serbia plays a prominent role in this, our friendship with Croatia goes back 800 years, with the Slovaks we have managed to establish relations which rest on the foundations of mutual trust, and there has been some progress also in the case of Romania, he listed. Those who cooperate with the Hungarians benefit, the Prime Minister stressed. He added that the common economic development programmes are beneficial not only for Hungary and the Hungarians living beyond today’s state borders, but also for the non-Hungarian nationals of the neighbouring countries. Each forint spent on economic developments beyond the borders boosts the gross domestic product by two forints, he pointed out.
Regarding Ukraine and Hungarians living in Ukraine, he said Hungary is trying to help Ukraine. We understand their difficult situation, and “not only do we accept their territorial integrity, but we ourselves demand the same from Russia”. Therefore, also in Transcarpathia the Hungarian government does not wish to differentiate between Hungarians and other nationals, they want to help everyone, he said. However, in response to this Ukraine-friendly position, “we found ourselves faced with an anti-Hungarian Ukrainian policy”, he highlighted, indicating that despite ongoing negotiations there are no actual results. He sincerely hopes, however, that with the next Ukrainian president they will be able to restore a Hungary-friendly policy instead of today’s anti-Hungarian policy.
Mr Orbán pointed out that Kiev can only join NATO and the EU with Hungary’s participation and help, and it is therefore “self-destructive” to pursue an anti-Hungarian policy in Ukraine.
Finally, the Prime Minister was also asked about the agreement between the government and the capital. Mr Orbán said István Tarlós’s mayorship has achieved a common decision on government funds intended for Budapest developments. He added that Budapest has been given the right to decide on the spending of funds which are not its own, but come from the central governmental budget. Therefore, “István Tarlós has not resigned, but has acquired rights for the capital”. He stressed that now that the Hungarian economy is in full swing, the newly established Council for Metropolitan Public Developments may well pay off for Budapest.