Menu
Mr Orbán said he is looking forward to the campaign with healthy and historically well-founded self-confidence. In his words, he is in his twentieth year as prime minister, has won five elections; most recently, four consecutive elections. The government is adopting measures one after the other, offering the Hungarian people, ever more Hungarians, opportunities.
He said: “Why should we have little faith?” “The opposition is the opposition in order to breathe down your neck, that’s their job, but what’s important is that they should breathe down your neck, meaning from behind, not leading from the front; as long as that’s the case, there’s no problem,” the Prime Minister stressed. He added: “The opposition is the same as before, though the clothing keeps changing.” There is always a national party – this is Fidesz now – which fights for the country’s independence, historical justice, and there is always a cosmopolitan, suspicious, international formation paid, maintained from abroad, one that is in the pay of foreigners, led by lieutenants, which attempts to obtain the supreme power of governance with the aid of money and influence received from abroad, the Prime Minister pointed out.
Mr Orbán arrived in Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureș) to attend the funeral of Hungarian lawyer, publicist, civil and human rights defender Előd Kincses. In the interview, he also spoke about the fact that he would like to meet with Romania’s new president as soon as possible and at length because we had common affairs in the European Union, and the interests of Romanians and Hungarians coincided on multiple issues.
He highlighted that the situation for the development of bilateral relations was favourable as the Hungarian EU presidency that had ended last December had brought about a historic breakthrough for Romania, and this was seen in that light by the Romanian party as well. He added that politicians in Bucharest, too, were aware of the complex manoeuvres that Hungary had been compelled to carry out in European politics in order to have Romania admitted to the Schengen Area.
“They can see that we are driven by good intentions and ready to cooperate. Meaning that we have a pretty good starting point, and then we’ll see the rest. I don’t envy them at any rate because I can see the difficult inheritance this government has been left with, especially in an economic sense. They will need all the knowledge in the world in order for the Romanian people to survive the management of this economic situation with the least possible damage. I’m rooting for them, I hope they’ll succeed,” Mr Orbán said.
In the context of the Romanian presidential election held in May, Krónika asked the Prime Minister how his message – in which he also made reference to the candidate for president of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) George Simion – should be construed as the Hungarians of Romania “pricked up their ears,” and both the Hungarians of Transylvania and their interest representation refused to cooperate with the Far Right. “It’s only right. While this is not my business, the Hungarians in Romania shouldn’t cooperate with the Far Right, or the Far Left for that matter; anyway, they shouldn’t cooperate with people who are the enemies of the Hungarian people. As to who the enemies of the Hungarians are, you here in Transylvania know better than anyone else, in any other part of the world,” Mr Orbán stated.
He took the view that on the occasion of the elections, the Hungarians of Transylvania “did a fine job,” defended themselves against a Far Right candidate. He observed that he had been surprised by the stir that the position of principle that he had always stood for had created. “I said that ‘we don’t interfere with the ongoing Romanian presidential election struggle.’ This is what I said, that we don’t want to interfere. But that our message from this symbolic place – this happened in Tihany – is that we reassure the people of Romania and its prospective president whoever that may be that we stand on the foundations of partnership and cooperation,” Mr Orbán said, recalling his own words. He added: This will be so tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and also in five years’ time because it is important that Hungary will not support any isolation attempt, any political retaliation against Romania and its leaders, whatever the name of the Romanian president may be. “So, no one should expect me to do so in the European Union where this is customary, and where we are at the receiving end of this very form of punishment and retaliation. I know what this means for a country, but no one should expect the Hungarians to support any retaliation that they may want to impose in Brussels on any elected leader or government of Romania. […] should they be faced with any retaliation in the European Union for standing up for their sovereignty or for Christianity, we Hungarians will be on their side. This is our message. It is now, and this will be also in five years’ time,” Mr Orbán laid down.
In answer to Krónika’s suggestion that “not everyone likes” the fact that in the past decade and a half Hungary has provided considerable support for Hungarians beyond the borders, Mr Orbán said he cannot help those who do not understand why the Transylvanian part of the nation, communities and schools must be supported. “The Hungarians are stuck in a situation, they’ve been struggling for survival for a hundred years. I can’t help those who don’t understand this, those with whom this doesn’t resonate, those who fail to grasp what’s happening. Those who are not Hungarians are not Hungarians. I can’t explain what it’s like to be Hungarian to someone whose heart is not Hungarian, and if you’re Hungarian back home in Little Hungary, you can’t forget about those Hungarians who are also Hungarians, and can only count on you and need your help,” the Prime Minister said.
He pointed out that Hungary was not giving them a gift. “We are a national government. History is such that borders are pushed here, there and everywhere from time to time, but there is a Hungarian nation, and the parts of the Hungarian nation cannot be separated by borders because only a country has borders, a nation doesn’t. For me, we’re a single nation, and you’re a part of the nation, the same as me who happens to be a person from Transdanubia. I’m a part of the nation, so are you, for me that’s a single unit. And therefore, we’re not doing anyone a favour, we’re not providing grants, but we must think in terms of the survival and strengthening of every constituent part of this nation, and must help one another with achieving that,” the Prime Minister said.
More news
