Hungary does not deal with Ukraine or Russia, Hungary deals with peace.

France also supports the program of the Hungarian EU presidency, the focus of which is the strengthening of the European economy, the Hungarian Prime Minister announced on Wednesday in Paris after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Viktor Orbán recalled in his interview with the public media after the meeting that he arrived in Paris as the third stop in his series of European negotiations, after Berlin and Rome.

Hungary holds the EU's presidency in a row, so they touched on two topics: French-Hungarian bilateral relations, and the next six months of the EU, he said.

After Berlin and Rome, we reached an agreement here as well, we received the approval that the next six months in Europe under the Hungarian presidency will be about improving the competitiveness of the European economy, he announced.

According to his report, they also discussed the expansion of the Western Balkans. Countries in the Western Balkans have been waiting for fifteen years to enter the union, "this is wrong, bad, maybe even humiliating", he assessed.

There are an overwhelming majority of countries that want to see the countries of the Western Balkans within the European Union as soon as possible, including Serbia, and Hungary will work for this in the next period, he said.

Viktor Orbán also reported that he and Emmanuel Macron were happy to acknowledge the development of French-Hungarian relations and remained confident that they would be further strengthened.

Currently, 45,000-50,000 Hungarian families earn their living from French-owned companies operating in Hungary, and the trade between the two countries has doubled in ten years - he drew attention, adding that one of the largest French companies is the professional and business partner for the repurchase of the Ferihegy airport. .

According to him, Viktor Orbán discussed with them on Wednesday, and on Thursday they confirmed with President Macron that this is not just an investment, but a major development program that is important to France and Hungary as well.

The Prime Minister announced that European affairs were also discussed at the meeting.

He reminded that the French lead the European nuclear coalition, a group of countries that believe that clean energy and economy cannot be achieved without nuclear energy. Hungary has been a member of this coalition from the beginning, the steps of the cooperation have been clarified here - he indicated, also emphasizing that French companies are heavily involved in the construction of the Paks power plant.

Viktor Orbán and Emmanuel Macron also agreed on the expansion of defense industry cooperation. There is already a French defense industry investment in Hungary, but they are looking for new opportunities for cooperation, said the Prime Minister.

He also mentioned that the issue of war was also discussed during the meeting, but here the opinions differ significantly.

"I made it clear to the president that Hungary does not deal with Ukraine or Russia, Hungary deals with peace," he said.

Viktor Orbán emphasized: Hungary is not against one or another country, but against the war. We want to stop the war, so the most important goal for us is to have a cease-fire as soon as possible and that no more people die, he emphasized.

When asked by a journalist, the prime minister also said that Sino-Hungarian relations were not discussed in Paris. Everyone knows that Hungary has had a balanced and good relationship with China since historical times, and China has also placed Hungary on a very high level of cooperation, he noted.

He added that the EU knows that China participates in the modernization of the Hungarian economy and that China has offered Hungary to participate in the modernization of the Chinese economy. This means an ever-increasing economic cooperation, against which the Europeans have no objections, nor can they, he stated.

Regarding the distribution of the EU's leading positions, Viktor Orbán said: this has happened.

At the same time, he emphasized that Hungary has always, perhaps due to its size and traditions, been in favor of involving everyone in European decisions.

It is not good if the most important positions for the next five years, together with the program corresponding to them, are distributed on a party basis by those who appointed themselves for this; it is never good if there is a governing party and an opposition, a majority and a minority in the European Union - he warned

Everyone should be involved, but this step has become more of a coalition of parties supporting war and migration, which Hungary has a duty to oppose, Viktor Orbán said.

MTI

Cover photo: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (j) and French President Emmanuel Macron (b) after their meeting at the Elysée Palace
Source: MTI/Minister's Press Office/Zoltán Fischer