Orbán: Hungary strives to be ‘good steward as motherland’

Hungary strives to be “a good steward” in serving as a homeland for all Hungarians around the world, the prime minister said, addressing the annual assembly of the Hungarian Diaspora Council in Budapest on Thursday.

The diaspora communities are both a resource and an asset for Hungary’s national pride, Viktor Orbán said.

The prime minister thanked the diaspora for their support and help over the past years in building and holding together Hungarian communities throughout the world.

Orbán said he was looking forward to welcoming the one millionth applicant for formally receiving the Hungarian citizenship under the government’s fast-track procedure on December 5, marking the anniversary of the national referendum held about dual citizenship in 2004.

Hungary has “got on its own feet, sorted out its finances and economy” and needs “no one else’s money” now, he said.

Among the achievements, Orbán said that over 4.4 million Hungarians are working and paying taxes now. The changes are visible not only in statistical data but also in everyday life, he added.

Speaking of border control, Orbán said that while defending its own borders and sovereignty, Hungary is also protecting Europe and Western culture. The government follows US President Donald Trump’s politics inasmuch as it puts “Hungary first”, he said.

Orbán said that the “international attacks” launched against Hungary are a sign of respect for and appreciation of the country’s policies “which are noticeable and important enough to express a position on”.

The prime minister qualified Ukraine’s education law that scrapped minority-language education above the 5th grade as a “sad business”. “Minorities should not renounce their already acquired rights,” he said.

Orbán said that the pro-family policy pursued by Hungary’s government is fundamental for the nation’s survival.

Raising a family has always been at the heart of Hungarian society which, however, has recently been facing a demographic slide-down, he said, adding that despite “some encouraging developments” demographic decline was still a prevailing problem for Hungarian society.

“The Hungarian government rejects the position that the solution for this problem lies in letting migrants in the country,” he said.

The objective is for Hungary’s fertility rate to go up to 2.1 percent by 2030, Orban said.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI