US ambassador: Hungary attracting ‘great deal of attention’ from US, Russia, China
Hungary is attracting “a great deal of attention” from global powers like the United States, China and Russia, David Cornstein, the US ambassador to Hungary, said on a radio talk show on Sunday.
Speaking to billionaire John Catsimatidis on his “CATS Roundtable” New York radio show, Cornstein said Hungary and the central European region “all of a sudden . became very very attractive”.
“The Chinese like them, the Russians like them and of course they’re a member of NATO, so the United States likes them a lot as well,” Cornstein said of Hungary.
Asked about the state of the European Union, the ambassador said: “If you think that we have a polarised situation here in America, it’s an understatement compared to what’s going on in Europe.”
Divisive issues like immigration have pitted “East against the West, the North against the South, the liberals against conservative governments”, Cornstein said.
“Certain countries like Germany say ‘let’s just let everybody into the country’,
and then you get a country like Hungary that says, ‘Hey, wait a minute. I want to keep this country Hungarian and I’m not interested in bringing a lot of new people into the country, especially people from Africa’, so to speak.”
Asked about border policies within the bloc, the ambassador said they depended on the country in question.
“You have a leader in Hungary that’s a very very forceful leader . He is not ready to open borders until its safe,” Cornstein said.
“Right now, with the virus, everything was closed.” Hungary was “very successful” in fighting the virus, he said, adding that the country has had “hardly any cases in a relative sense” and “very few deaths as well”.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “is not very much interested in open borders” and “would like to have the people that he thinks would be good for the country come into the country” whether they be tourists or someone who would permanently settle in the country.
Asked about Russia’s influence in Hungary, Cornstein said
Hungary’s close relationship with Russia was mainly due to geographic proximity and an “energy dependence”.
But, he added that he believed Hungary did not “have a love really for Russia and what they represent.”
Cornstein described Hungary as “the best kept secret in the world”, saying that in spite of its welcoming people, good food and relatively low cost of living, it is less known abroad.
Source: MTI
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4 Comments
Hungary would do well to ignore EVERYTHING America wants, offers or decrees. Orbanand the Hungarian government will be ill advised to hitch its wagon to the US Governments policies. Especially if it doesn’t want to end up on the losing side of the coming WW3.
Jack, get a life. The USA has kicked ass in WWI, WW2 and the Cold War. We will kick ass again in WW3. Those who try to short sell America and the ideals it stand for always lose.
alhorvath, you really have no idea of what you speak, The US is in terminal decline as an empire and US troop morale is at an all time low. The US is now run by Social Justice Warriors and those with an agenda to force moral bankruptcy and degeneracy upon its client states. Nations that partner with the USA will only lead to ruin for Hungary.
Thankfully there are vast differences in our Prime Minister – Victor Orban to the 45th elected infamous President of the United States of America – Donald. J. Trump.
Hungary, is blessed to have a Prime Minister – Victor Orban, of high intellectual capacity.
The same, blatantly witnessed can’t be said of Donald. J. Trump.
Hungary will remain courteous, civil and respectful to the “Star Spangled Banner” a country that is, besides major other failings that are currently suffocating it, a Humanitarian Disaster.
Prime Minister – Victor Orban, he displayed for ALL to see and witness back in 1989, and remains an intricate core of his continuing vision for the future of Hungary, the need that we re-establish, build the strong historical proud and independence that as a country history identifies that we represented.
Victor Orban would never have meet Donald. J. Trump on a academic campus, for the reason simple, Trump would never have had the intelligence to have gained entry.