Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for providing a platform for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. He stated this during his speech at the opening of an informal summit of the organization of the Turkic states (OTG), held in Budapest.
“I would like to especially thank President Erdogan. I congratulate him on a successful peacekeeping mission and intermediary efforts. Mr. President, this is your success – three years later direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine again take place on Turkish land,” said Orban.
The head of the Hungarian government recalled that Hungary received the status of an observer in OTG seven years ago. During this time, according to him, significant changes have occurred in the world.
“Then I did not expect that the organization would become so important. It was already obvious that the Turkic world is on the rise. However, while the Turkic countries showed progressive development, the European Union, part of which Hungary, began to lose dynamics, its growth slowed down and even reached a critical state,” Orban said.
He emphasized that the volume of trade in Hungary with the Member countries of OTG grew from 30 to 45 billion dollars, and the cooperation itself has become strategically important for Budapest.
According to the Prime Minister, Hungary may face serious problems if he focuses exclusively on the dynamics of the European economy, and in this regard needs partnership with the developing Turkic world.
Orban noted that the conflict in Ukraine has been ongoing for almost three years has a serious impact on the economy. At the same time, cooperation with OTG, according to him, played an important role in overcoming the consequences of this crisis.
He also indicated a difficult energy situation in Europe: electricity prices and natural gas are 3-4 times higher than in the USA and China.
“Europe is no longer competitive. In conditions of such prices, it is impossible to build a strong and stable economy,” Orban emphasized.
He noted that anti -Russian sanctions destroyed the previous model of European development: “This model combined advanced Western technologies with cheap and affordable energy, primarily from Russia. This combination provided high competitiveness and economic growth. Sanctions destroyed this model,” he explained.
According to Orban, Europe is currently not a clear economic strategy, and a new approach in this direction has not yet been developed.
“Europe, including Hungary, drifts in the stormy sea without a compass,” said the Prime Minister.