The Prime Minister takes the view that what we have at stake today is Europe, the European way of life, the survival or disappearance of European values and nations, or their transformation beyond recognition.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán highlighted in his evaluation of the phenomenon of modern-day mass migration at the Saturday event of the 26th Bálványos Open University and Summer Camp: the question now is not merely what kind of Europe we, Hungarians would like to live in, but whether that which we call Europe today will at all survive.
Our answer is clear: we would like Europe to be preserved for the Europeans, he said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister established: the modern-day mass migration is a consequence of political processes. In his view, the real threat is not coming from war zones, but from the depths of Africa.
Mr Orbán also pointed out: the future is not a competition of looking far forward, but rather a competition of understanding the past.
Those will win who will better understand the past, and who will come to the right conclusions more swiftly and more courageously, the Prime Minister stated.
The Hungarians have decided; they do not want illegal migrants
The Hungarians have decided; they do not want illegal migrants, and do not share the intellectual frenzy of the European left, the Prime Minister said.
Viktor Orbán informed his audience at the 26th Bálványos Open University and Summer Camp of the results of the national consultation. He pointed out that 1,000,254 questionnaires were completed and sent back, and according to the results, 95 per cent take the view that we must support Hungarian families and the children to be born, instead of immigration.
More than two thirds of Hungarian people find the issue of the spread of terrorism relevant to their own lives. Three quarters of them believe that illegal migrants are a threat to the jobs and livelihood of the Hungarian people. Four fifths take the view that the policy of Brussels regarding immigration and terrorism has failed, and we therefore need a new approach and more stringent regulations. The same percentage of people encourage the Government to adopt more stringent regulations in contrast to Brussels’ lenient policy.
The Prime Minister believes: these results indicate that Hungary is a safe and stable country, and the Hungarians want to remain a united and balanced nation in the uncertain world that surrounds them.
The European left does not perceive immigration as a source of danger but as an opportunity
The Prime Minister said: the left believes that the escalation of migration may definitively debilitate, or even eliminate, national boundaries, and this would constitute the attainment of the long-term objective of the left in an historical perspective.
“While the Hungarian left incited against Hungarians beyond the borders in 2004, they would today readily embrace illegal migrants, and would await them with open arms. These people, these politicians quite simply do not like the Hungarian people”, Mr Orbán concluded.
He added: if the left had been given the chance to form a government in 2014, “within a year or two, we would not recognise our country; we would be like a refugee camp”.
Fence to be built by 31 August
The fence on the southern border of Hungary will be built by 31 August; any other dates are invalid, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced.
At the forum following his speech, the Prime Minister said in answer to a question that, based on experiences to date, the number of illegal border-crossers decreases to one-sixth to one-seventh immediately after the construction of such border fences. He added: he is expecting a large-scale improvement as a result of this measure.
The Government has approved the technical plans, has changed the deadlines, and has opted for a combination of technical solutions. There will be large signs and arrows on the fence which will indicate to “anyone interested” which way to go, the Prime Minister said. He also pointed out: we must be careful to ensure that the genuine problem caused by mass migration should not be used against free movement within the European Union and other fundamental freedoms.
Regarding Romanian-Hungarian relations, Mr Orbán said: there is not much positive to report. In his evaluation, this was not always the case; up until 2012, there was practical and successful cooperation between the governments of the two countries which was based on trust. This started to change as of 2012.
The Prime Minister said: he does not remember a time when Romanian politicians attacked Hungary quite as many times as they have done since. He added: Hungary has not changed its position, “we must respect every nation and their elected leaders”. At the same time, Mr Orbán believes there is a chance for a new start.
If the opportunity arises, we, Hungarians are ready to take it from there, the Prime Minister said.
Regarding medical training in Marosvásárhely, the Prime Minister said: he will dedicate the four years of his cycle of government to constructive work in the field of national policy. Based on an analogy taken from the discipline of kayaking, he said that there is a start phase, a phase where you adopt your travelling speed, and there is a finish phase. Our task at present is to gather our strength, to start the construction work, and to reach our travelling speed, he said.
Mr Orbán highlighted: a sector-specific policy must also be implemented in the Carpathian Basin. We have every opportunity to do so, and this is not hindered but is in actual fact assisted by the European Union, he said.
There is no obstacle of any kind to opening a vocational school in Kolozsvár, and as resources allow, to opening as many vocational training institutions around the Carpathian Basin, wherever there are Hungarians, as possible. We do not only have the right to do so, but there is also demand for such institutions. This also applies to medical training, the Prime Minister said.
The question is what it is that should be implemented with a view to a standard Hungarian health care in the Carpathian Basin, based on the criteria of national policy, he added. Marosvásárhely cannot be left out of this, he said, stressing: the necessary conditions will be created, but this is something that the stakeholders themselves must also desire.
In answer to a question regarding the broadcasting of the public service television sports channel in Transylvania, the Prime Minister said: this is a serious issue. Zsolt Semjén should take action immediately, he said, turning to the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for national policy who was also in attendance.
Regarding the use of Hungarian symbols, the Prime Minister pointed out: perseverance is the key word. The more of us continuing to use our symbols despite all threats, bans and disapproval, the better the chance that our position will prevail, he said, adding: he hopes that there is enough perseverance in the Hungarians in Hungary and beyond the borders not to allow their symbols to be removed from the scenes of public life, in particular, with an ever strengthening motherland behind them. There is sufficient strength to provide protection, he said.
The Prime Minister told his audience regarding the issue of border crossing stations: the goal for Hungary’s national policy is to reach the Western-European border crossing station average around the borders of Hungary. He added: they will achieve splendid results on the Slovakian borders in the next few years, but there are some remarkable events also in relation to Romania.
The Prime Minister said: there are countries which would not mind perhaps if they could use the latest mass migration as an excuse for restoring a “border policing regime” to a certain degree. At the same time, the reinstatement of the Schengen borders within the European Union is contrary to Hungary’s most elementary interests, he pointed out.
The Prime Minister said that Poland is in explosive form, and this is equally true of its political elite and its competitiveness. He highlighted: if we want Central-European cooperation, and this is what the Hungarians want, then Poland must take the lead. While the Poles and the Hungarians are “two good friends”, it does not follow from this that our ideas and interests necessarily coincide on all global political issues.
Hungary will not give up on supporting the aspirations of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, including their language rights and autonomy, Mr Orbán said, adding: this must be demonstrated in obvious terms in such a way as to also save the Polish-Hungarian historical friendship for the future.
At the same time, if there is one development in world politics which is hard to predict today, it must be related beyond doubt to Russia and the intentions of the Americans. Understanding, assessing and adapting to this wherever this may be relevant to national interests, and finding the time, occasion and extent of distancing ourselves from this where necessary is one of the greatest intellectual challenges for Hungarian foreign policy, Mr Orbán stated. He also said that the nature of the intensifying Polish-Romanian relations which we may experience day after day and which is new in the system of Central-European cooperation is something that requires in-depth analysis.
The relationship of Poland with Russia and Germany is different from the relationships of a number of other Central-European states with those countries, he added.