Hungary has embarked on a period of economic growth which could place the country among the fastest-growing European Union member states, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday.
Addressing the annual three-day meeting of Hungarian diplomatic mission leaders, he stated that a four-year period of successful governance has been completed, primarily signalled by the country having exited the EU’s excessive deficit procedure.
He asked mission leaders to represent a country with "successful perspectives", adding that Hungary should not have to defend its position, but rather, diplomats should present the opportunities that stem from past successes. He also pointed out that Hungary was the only country in the EU whose political system had been "thoroughly screened" by the Union for common European values.
The Prime Minister pointed out that Hungary is an export-orientated country, which warrants a foreign policy focused on the economy. The Government does not want to change its policy on state-created jobs, he underlined, adding that the goal is to achieve the employment level of the Czech Republic and have at least 5 million people working. This concept was different from the liberal policies usually applied by welfare states, he added. The Prime Minister also highlighted that Hungary does not suffer from immigration related problems and follows a policy which does not support it. Europe’s immigration policy is hypocritical and lacks any moral foundation or expedience.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of forging ties between foreign and Hungarian businesses, adding that mission leaders must contribute to bringing foreign, job-creating businesses to Hungary as well as finding export markets for domestic enterprises. There are currently about 2,500 Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) capable of exporting, but the aim is to increase this number to 12,000, he highlighted, adding that the proportion of Hungarian exports to partners outside of the European Union should reach one-third by 2018 and later increase to 50%.
Hungary is among the countries that regard the current situation with Russia as essentially an economic issue, Prime Minister Orbán said, while the Baltic States and Poland regard it as a matter of security policy, meaning the V4 Group is not unanimous on this issue. The European Union is moving further away from Russia every day, which is bad not only for Hungary but for the entire EU, he underlined. Hungary seeks to align itself with EU member states who are interested in slowing down and stopping this "separation process".
Talking about state models, the Prime Minister emphasised that every political or economic model is determined by culture, and therefore in Europe one cannot follow a model that is not based on Christianity. He stated that the current wave of criticism against Hungary stems from the country’s differing standpoint in the question of sanctions against Russia. This argument is just one of the tools of a political battle, he added.