Hungarian PM hails strong ties with key world leaders

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that Hungary views Russian President Vladimir Putin as an honest partner.

“The goal of a healthy foreign policy is to build a network of friends,” Orbán said in an interview with local Magyar Nemzet newspaper, Caliber.Az reports.

“There should be as many countries as possible in the world interested in the success of the Hungarians. US President-elect Donald Trump likes Hungary. President of China Xi Jinping visited two EU member states —France and Hungary. Our friend is President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, our honest partner is the president of Russia, and our good friend is Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. There has been little like this in the history of Hungarian diplomacy,” Orbán stated. 

He acknowledged that maintaining a balanced relationship with so many countries is challenging but not impossible. 

"Juggling these plates simultaneously—ensuring none of them fall while their conflicts with each other don't harm our relationships with them—is a complex task, but not an impossible one. The reason we need to gather friends around the world is so that Hungarians, all Hungarians, can benefit from it in a tangible way," Orbán said. 

He also noted that Hungary stands to gain from the anticipated return of Republican Donald Trump to power in the US, with whom he has developed a strong relationship.

"Significant investments will flow into Hungary from the US," the prime minister said.

By Naila Huseynova