Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Orbán envisages 'fantastic opportunities' for central Europe

Orbán envisages 'fantastic opportunities' for central Europe

The next decade will offer central Europe "fantastic opportunities", Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Usti nad Labem, in the Czech Republic, following talks with his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis on Wednesday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Babis, Orbán said that while central Europe had earlier been thought to be helpless without Western Europe, it was now the Western European economies that could not do without central Europe. “There is not even a successful German economy without central Europe; central Europe is in fact the locomotive of the EU’s economy,” he said.

The political and economic weight of the region will further increase, but it requires the Visegrad cooperation to continue, he said.

Orbán said that in terms of reducing unemployment, the Czech Republic “is one step ahead of us”, adding that Hungary also wanted to have a debt rate as slow as its northern neighbour.

He said his visit today was aimed at strengthening the Czech-Hungarian axis of the Visegrad Four cooperation, arguing that without the Czech Republic’s commitment towards the V4 the group cannot function. “The Visegrad Group needs the strength and political influence of the Czech Republic,” Orbán said.

In connection with migration, Orbán said a new, massive wave of migrants could not be avoided with millions of people leaving Afghanistan. Many of them will choose a route through the Balkans and Hungary, he said, adding that Hungary would continue to protect its own borders, as it will also protect Europe.

On the topic of Czech-Hungarian economic cooperation, Orbán noted that it had reached record levels. The volume of bilateral trade this year has gone up by 26 percent, Hungary has currently 330 Czech companies as foreign investors employing several thousands of people, he said, adding plans for Hungary to extend cooperation in the areas of telcom, agriculture, energy and defence.

Hungary is ready to work in close, friendly cooperation with the government of Andrej Babis based on mutual respect in future, Orbán said.

In reply to a question, Orbán said that the gas purchase agreement Hungary signed with Russia earlier this week is a matter of Hungary’s sovereignty, and Ukraine has nothing to do with it.

Hungary is a sovereign state and will purchase gas from whichever country it chooses. “It is up to us alone to decide which route we use to bring this energy to Hungary,” he said, adding that in selecting the route the only criteria is that it should provide the greatest security.

“We wish that the Ukrainians should cope with their own problems and leave us out of it,” Orbán said.

“We, central Europeans are destined to success and will prosper if we are allowed to. We do not ask for extra assistance but fair treatment,” he said.

It is unfair, however, that eight member states haven’t yet got access to the post-pandemic recovery fund the EU decided to grant to each country, Orbán said. “This is not a matter of money but lack of equal terms in competition,” he said.

The European Commission is making a difference between member states and those who get assistance later fall behind in the competition, Orbán said. If the EU guarantees equal treatment, abstains from abusing its powers and acts correctly, central Europe will continue its success story, he added.

“We have three major battles with Brussels,” Orbán said, referring to migration, the involvement of “LGBTQ activists in the education of our children” and green policies which could bring about exorbitant energy prices.

“We should win these three battles for the central European success story to continue,” he said.

Orbán said that the western countries are unable or unwilling to protect their boundaries, and let migrants in without any control. Later on, however, they complain about all migrants staying on their territory and call for distributing them. But this is a wrong approach. All countries should defend their borders and if they are unable to, then they should ask for assistance,” he said.

Orbán reiterated that Hungary rejected the compulsory migrant quotas and welcomed that the Czech Republic shared its position.

Addressing the press conference, Babis said the Czech Republic owed it to Hungary that there are no illegal migrants in the country today.

“In 2015, Hungary was the only EU member state to protect the bloc’s Schengen borders. Thanks to the fence Hungary then erected at its border, the Czech Republic today does not have to struggle with the problem of illegal migration,’ he said.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×