Viktor Orbán's 11-year rule is one of the most successful periods in Hungary's democratic history, wrote David Cornstein, the former US ambassador to Hungary (2018-2020), in his opinion article published in the conservative American magazine Newsmax.
Hungary is "a beautiful country with wonderful people who love Americans," Cornstein underlined. It has a thriving economy, while the cost of living is about half that of other European countries, he added.
He noted: based on the articles published in the American media, this is not the picture that emerges, and if he had decided based on them, he probably would not have accepted the position of ambassador.
"Just like the majority of our allies, Orbán's government is not perfect either, but the prime minister determines the contours of his policy along the lines of rationality, keeping in mind the long-term interests of the nation," he added.
The former American ambassador highlighted: the Hungarian Prime Minister boosted the economy by ensuring the freedom of business, reducing regulations, reducing taxes and other steps that the previous American president, Donald Trump, would agree with.
Before Orbán, the country moaned about the bad leadership of socialist governments for eight years, Cornstein concluded. Before the coronavirus epidemic, based on the growth of the gross domestic product (GDP), Hungary was among the best performing countries in Europe, he continued.
The unemployment rate is unprecedentedly low, only 3.7 percent, he reminded.
Moreover, the government's goal is for families to benefit from economic development. According to Orbán, since families were the most affected by the epidemic, they should be the first to benefit from the results of the economic recovery.
To this end, it was decided that if GDP growth reaches 5.5 percent this year, the personal income tax paid in 2021 will be refunded to parents with children, he pointed out.
"What a departure from the tax-and-spend policy of the current US government!" David Cornstein remarked. Speaking about migration, the former diplomat called it heartbreaking what is happening on the southern border of the United States. He contrasted the Hungarian approach with the American treatment of migration pressure. He emphasized that during the 2015 migration crisis, Orbán acted decisively and immediately erected a fence to stop the flow of people.
"He was the first European politician to say out loud that the immigration of people with a radically different background is undesirable," Cornstein recalled.
"Orbán was right," he added, pointing out that after the failure of Germany's policy of welcoming migrants with open arms, countries such as Austria, Denmark and Sweden also began to follow Hungary's example.
Migration was one of the issues that brought Hungary into conflict with the European Union, and which exposed the contrasts between Europe's western, liberal democracies and the more conservative eastern member states, wrote David Cornstein.
"Brussels also held Orbán's government accountable on the grounds that it weakened the independence of the judiciary and undermined the rule of law," he reminded. The former ambassador emphasized that people living in the United States often disapprove of the close relationship between Budapest and Moscow. At the same time, it is essential for Hungary, which depends on Russia energetically, from a security point of view, to maintain civilized relations with Moscow, he explained.
At the same time, NATO membership also plays a decisive role in the country's security policy, he stressed. Orbán has stated many times that he wants to improve the relationship between NATO and Russia, because if the West and the East are at odds, Hungary loses, Cornstein reminded. "Wise words," remarked the former ambassador.
Source: Magyar Hírlap/MTI
In our opening picture: Viktor Orbán and David Cornstein on March 6, 2020. Photo MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Benko Vivien Cher
