Hungary Keeps Same Distance From Russia, Orban Tells German Daily

Berlin (MTI) – Hungary is not proceeding towards Russia, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview published by German business daily Handelsblatt on Monday.

In the front-page interview, Orban also said, however, that Hungary is not moving away from Russia either; Hungary wants to see a “security buffer zone” between itself and Russia, and supports that Ukraine should be accepted as a European Union member in the medium term. He added, however, that though Hungary would welcome Ukraine’s accession, that country must first become politically and economically stable, and able to safeguard its own borders.

Answering a question about his “sympathy” with such authoritarian regimes as Russia or China, Orban said his earlier remarks had reflected facts rather than sentiments. He argued that “admitting that non-democracies are more successful than Europe is even more difficult than facing the EU’s reduced competitiveness”. China’s success is a “spiritual trauma” for Europe, he added.

Orban also stressed that he had not advocated those regimes as examples to be followed. “You need the Chinese for the China model and the Russians for the Russian one. In Europe and in Hungary those models are not operational,” he insisted.

Concerning Russia, Orban said that he had “fought for Hungary’s sovereignty” against that country and argued that he had prevented a 25-percent stake “in an oil and gas company” from being acquired by Russian investors. He also insisted that he had gained control “over the agreement on gas supplies for Hungary”. From Hungary’s point of view, “Russia’s influence in Central Europe is a lot smaller than it was in 2010,” he said.

About Hungary’s plans to upgrade the Paks nuclear plant with Russian involvement, Orban said that other countries were also welcome to bid for the project, but it was Russia that could meet all security, ownership and financial criteria. “That is why they won”.

On the subject of domestic issues, Orban voiced tolerance for recent demonstrations and said that though his party had won a supermajority in Hungary’s parliamentary, European and local elections, it considered it an obligation to “talk to each other”.

Orban said that young people dissatisfied with government policies were also disappointed with the political elite of the entire 25 years since the political regime change. He suggested a comparison between their position and the motivation of the founders of his Fidesz party, who, back in 1988, “also wanted to expel the whole communist regime”.

Photo: MTI/Prime Minister Office – Barna Burger

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters