Orbán: all refugees from Ukraine taken care of in Hungary!

All refugees from Ukraine are being taken care of in Hungary, the prime minister said in Beregsurány, at the Hungary-Ukraine border, on Thursday. Orbán told the press that “in times of trouble, calmness, levelheadedness, experience and routine are of paramount importance”.

“[W]e have crisis-tolerant ministers,” Orbán said, adding that most had already handled some kind of crisis, so coordination was working well. He said the work of volunteers was well-coordinated and no donation would go to waste, with handouts distributed and forwarded to the intended recipients. Refugees without acquaintances in Hungary to accommodate them are being placed in temporary shelters, he said.

Centres have been set up around Hungary where they will receive food and shelter, even if they must stay for a lengthy period,

he added.

Orbán said preparations have started to organise work for refugees. “We will try to offer an opportunity for everyone to create their own livelihood,” he said, adding that “this is a work-based country, and here we help everyone get work.” Hungarian refugees who speak Hungarian and have ties to Hungary are in a less difficult situation and

may soon find accommodation and work,

Orbán said. He mentioned a family with five children he had talked to who already have a rented flat in Nyíregyháza and jobs “starting tomorrow”.

Refugees who don’t speak Hungarian and who may not have yet decided if they wanted to stay in Hungary are in a more vulnerable situation, the prime minister said. Concerning people from third countries, mostly students from India, Nigeria, and China, Orbán said that they could enter Hungary and leave for home under agreements with their embassies.

He also offered them the opportunity to continue their studies in Hungary.

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“There is accommodation, and for the time being there are supplies;

there will be jobs, schools for students, we have translators, and … things are going smoothly,”

Orbán said. He added, however, that apart from providing aid to refugees, “the key to resolving the situation is not in Hungary but out there.”

Answering a question, Orbán said

Hungary’s foreign minister was in contact with both Russia and Ukraine.

He said that personally he had not had talks with those countries’ officials since the outbreak of the war. “I will have talks when needed,” he said.

In his response to a question about the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, Orbán said the two new reactors “will be completed on schedule”. The enlarged plant is necessary for the country; without that facility “Hungarian industry would be less competitive and families would pay more for utilities … the government has no reason to change its earlier plans and is not mulling doing so”, he said.