We have a vested interest in Romania’s economic success

We have a vested interest in Romania's economy being successful, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated on Kossuth Radio's programme 'Good morning Hungary' on Friday.

We Hungarians want to live in peace and cooperation with our neighbours, the Prime Minister said in the interview broadcast from Kolozsvár [Cluj-Napoca]. He said it is hard to imagine a relationship more complex than that of the two countries, and so "against the background of such a historical past, when there is peace and cooperation, that's not a natural state of affairs, and neither is it a mere coincidence, it is a decision."

The Prime Minister who will attend the jubilee congress of the 35-year-old Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) in Zsukiménes [Juc-Herghelie] in Kolozs County [Comitatul Cluj] together with Romanian President Nicuşor Dan on Friday - stressed: today, Romania has a prime minister whose thinking is similar to ours, and so we must seize this opportunity to improve cooperation.

He observed that in Romania there was a major ongoing struggle to restore the financial stability of the economy which was a painful process and a major challenge. Romania is an important trade partner of Hungary, and the more money the Romanians have, the better Romanian-Hungarian trade works, he said.

In Mr Orbán's view, in Romania, politics has driven the economy to its present troubled situation. If there is no stability, predictability and scope for long-term planning, if the people or parties underestimate the value and virtues of stability and a state of balance, it always leads to "stabbing in the dark, jerking and short-term economic decisions," he indicated. He added: When many short-term decisions which seem popular at the time add up, that usually leads to major economic problems.

Mr Orbán described Romania's prime minister as an experienced and respectable man, and said if anyone based on their previous career has a chance to "readjust this haystack which is a little squint now", then Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan does, given that he was a very good governor before.

It seems that three is the magic number of Hungarian economic policy, the Prime Minister stated. He recalled that the government had launched a three per cent housing credit programme for first-time home buyers, and there was enormous interest in the facility. And now they have also launched a facility with three per cent interest for businesses, for which Mr Orbán thanked the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its president Elek Nagy who took part in the formulation of the details.

He said they are providing the facility through the Széchenyi Card system which was set up by the Chamber during Sándor Demján's era and which has been operated by the Chamber ever since. The Prime Minister stressed that the government could not do this on its own, the representatives of businesses were also necessary to make this credit facility work.

The upper limit of the credit facility is HUF 150 million, and according to the Prime Minister, there are many Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises which - given the general central bank rate of 6 to 7 per cent - are "hungry for a bearable, affordable, reasonably priced" three per cent loan. This could give small and medium-sized businesses a significant boost, and meanwhile, there are tax reduction programmes under way for families as well, Mr Orbán pointed out.

He said today the Hungarian economy is in a state that it is capable of launching a fixed three per cent housing credit programme, launching a fixed three per cent credit programme for small and medium-sized businesses and implementing Europe's largest tax reduction programme all at once. An economy that is capable of all that cannot be in bad shape, the Prime Minister laid down.

Mr Orbán also spoke about the fact that the Tisza Party - if in government - would implement the Brussels instruction to raise taxes and to send the money to Ukraine. He added: as Tisza is not in government, and it is to be hoped, it will not be, it is unable to take the Hungarian people's money away, "not only now, but not in the future either."

He stressed that the Tisza Party was a Brussels project, it had been created in Brussels in order "to replace the national Hungarian government with a pro-Brussels and pro-Ukraine government." He added that according to Brussels, money had to be sent to Ukraine because they wanted to win the war against the Russians on the frontline. One idea to lay their hands on money is to take it away from the European people, including the Hungarians, in the form of higher taxes.

The Prime Minister also said that the Tisza Party follows the economic policy school hallmarked by names such as Lajos Bokros, György Surányi and Mária Zita Petschnig which fundamentally wants higher taxes, "vomits blood" at the idea of the flat tax, and likes to engage in social engineering, the essence of which lies in taking the money away from the people and redistributing it according to their own ideas. By contrast, the government parties stand for the principle that the policy of low taxes is the best economic policy, he stated. He said the essence of this policy is not to interfere with the people's lives, it is best if they themselves decide what they want to do with their money.

In Mr Orbán's view, in the coming weeks, there will be enormous pressure on Hungary from Brussels in order for the Hungarian government to consent to Ukraine's EU membership and to providing increased financial grants to Ukraine. He described this as a major international battle which we must win, but he warned that for this the government needed support, and the national consultation related to issues of taxation, too, sought to reinforce the cabinet's position standing for the national interest.

In his opinion, the national consultation is additionally important because neither the Tisza Party, nor DK [Democratic Coalition] wants to talk about issues of taxation, saying that if they did, they would lose the elections. This means that the most important issue, the issue of taxation, would remain unaddressed, the Prime Minister added, taking the view at the same time that it is good if the people can decide in such a way that they have clarity on this issue. Then it will be the way the people will have decided, "you've made your bed, now lie in it."

Prime Minister Orbán also spoke about the fact that Hungary stood in the way of the aspirations of Ukraine and Brussels, and therefore, they wanted to achieve a change of governments.

He said the Ukrainians want to involve Europe in the war at any cost, and want to gain admission to NATO and the European Union. They need money to support their army and state, and for that reason, they want a change of governments in Hungary. The goal of both Brussels and Ukraine is to replace the national government with a pro-Brussels and pro-Ukraine government, he said, adding that while these two actors believe that this would change the fate of Ukraine and the EU for the better, this would most certainly not improve the fate of the Hungarians.

Mr Orbán said the Ukrainians are working hard to secure a change of governments in Hungary, and their party is Tisza which is "a pro-Ukraine party."

Regarding the data leak at the Tisza Party, he said we once said that the Russians are now in the pantry, now we have to say that the Ukrainians are already in your smart phones, their secret services are all over Hungary like a rash. Naturally, we monitor them, we see what is happening. They have infiltrated the Hungarian intelligentsia, they have infiltrated the realm of Hungarian advisors, they have infiltrated Hungarian politics, and they have a party, the Prime Miniter stated. He added that the Ukrainians were ready to provide all help for Tisza to get into power, including technological support.

In the context of Péter Magyar's immunity affair, Mr Orbán said in Hungary everyone is free to say what they like, when it comes to politics, they are even free to do what they like, including using the services offered by Ukraine and Brussels, and therefore, it is utter nonsense to claim that anyone is persecuted here due to their political opinions or activities.

He stressed that Péter Magyar's immunity affair was not a political affair, but the case of a common crime, adding that now that Brussels has invested so much money and energy in the Tisza Party, "they don't want to forfeit their investment," "they're running after their money," and they will not suspend his immunity as this is the string with which they can control him as a puppet.

In answer to a question concerning Tisza's plans related to agriculture, he said there has always been a position - which in his view is usually invented by "city guys," meaning "boys from downtown Budapest" - that agriculture is a thing of the past, and country life as a whole is an outdated form of life which we should finally transcend. In his view, continuing this tradition, the Left now says that Hungarian agriculture cannot compete with that of Ukraine, and therefore, it is best to hand it over to them.

He described this as an utter misunderstanding, stressing that Hungary cannot exist without agriculture, farmers, the countryside and villages. He said Ukraine's EU membership could lead to the destruction of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian farmers.

In answer to a question about the Tisza Party's alleged plans for closing down hospitals and schools, he described the opposition party as the heir of the Bokros Package. He stressed that for 15 years he had fought to make quality education available to every family in Hungary as well as to make quality health care accessible. Therefore, rather than closing them down, these institutions must be reinforced, county hospitals especially. Outside Budapest, we need 18 very robust county hospitals, he stressed, adding that Tisza is now talking about seven large regional hospital hubs which would remove care within easy reach from the people.

The Prime Minister described László Krasznahorkai's Nobel Prize in Literature as splendid news, stressing that every such recognition is of special importance for Hungary, the same as Olympic gold medals. A country like ours is under continual performance pressure, he stated, pointing out that it is very difficult to give an answer to the cause of our existence. We have one truly serious answer: we are in this world because we are talented, we are diligent, and we table a performance in the world which the world itself needs, Mr Orbán said. The Hungarians have given humanity more than they have received from it, he added.