PM Orbán: Europe is suffering from war psychosis

The voice of peace should be at least as loud as that of war, and it should be made clear that the global majority wants peace, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Ankara on Thursday.

Speaking at the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), Orbán said Europe was “suffering from war psychosis”, and was being drawn into the war in Ukraine.

He thanked Turkic leaders for “strengthening the voice of peace”.

The prime minister also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his successful mediation between the warring parties so far, and asked him to continue his efforts.

“This is the only way there can be a chance for peace,” he said.

Orbán also thanked Erdogan for Hungarian-Turkish coordination within NATO.

The war is the number-one issue in Europe today, which puts Hungary in a difficult situation, Orbán said. Because Ukraine is a neighbouring country, the effects of the war on Hungary are “severe and direct”, he said, noting high inflation and record energy prices.

Many Hungarians have died in the war as well, given that ethnic Hungarians living in western Ukraine are also being conscripted into the army, Orbán said.

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Saving lives is the priority for Hungary, and so it is promoteing a ceasefire and peace talks, he added.

At the same time, the prime minister said there was “more than a war” going on in Europe, arguing that the whole of the continent’s power dynamics were being “restructured”, which would also impact the Turkic world.

Hungary, he added, also sees a danger of the re-emergence of global economic blocs. This goes against Hungary’s interests, as the country sees its future in collectiveness and connections, Orbán said.

Turkic states can play a key role in this, he said, arguing that European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries, linked by mutual respect, could set an example to the rest of the world.

Hungary is in favour of a new phase in economic, trade and energy links with the Turkic states, Orbán said. It wants to participate in the Turkic investment fund as soon as possible, he said, adding that the necessary finances were available.

Orbán expressed his condolences on Hungary’s behalf over the devastating earthquake that hit Turkiye last month, praising the courageous efforts of rescue workers. Hungary also sent search and rescue teams to the earthquake-hit areas in the first days after the disaster, who managed to save many people, he added.

He noted that Hungary on Thursday delivered 100 tonnes of hospital equipment to Turkiye’s disaster management authority, adding that Turkiye could also count on Hungary when it came to the reconstruction efforts.

Orbán said that seeing the development Turkiye had gone through over the last 23 years and the “fantastic progress” it had made over the last decade under Erdogan’s leadership, he was certain that the reconstruction would be successful.

On the occasion of Hungary’s recent March 15 national holiday, Orbán noted that after the Germans and Russians crushed the revolution of 1848, hundreds of army officers, scientists and politicians fled to Turkiye where they were welcomed.

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Source: MTI