Orbán rings alarm bells: Iran-Israel war puts Hungary on high alert
The escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict affects Hungary, and the government is taking the steps needed to guarantee the peace and security of the country, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after a meeting of the Defence Council on Sunday.
In a video uploaded to Facebook, Orbán said he called the Defence Council meeting because the conflict has entered a new phase with the US bombings. Notwithstanding the conflict’s geographical remoteness, Hungary faced dangers such as the threat of terrorism, new waves of migration and rising energy costs, he said.
“We’re not an immigrant country, so we’ll be able to protect ourselves against the threat of terrorism effectively,” he added. Whenever a conflict erupts in the Middle East, migration pressure on Hungary’s southern borders grows, Orbán said, adding that he has instructed the interior minister to pay special attention to this.
Referring to increased energy prices, the prime minister called for the lifting of “regulations and prohibitions in connection with the [EU] ban on Russian energy”, especially in light of the negative effect the Iran-Israel conflict has on fossil fuel prices.
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