The decade ahead will be defined by epidemics and mass migration, and both member states and NATO must be prepared to respond to these challenges, said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Brussels on Monday when he arrived at a one-day summit of NATO members.
“The decade ahead will be an era of epidemics and mass migration,” Orbán at the NATO summit in Brussels. Orbán stressed that whether the deliberations would become a turning point would be decided only at the end of the summit, but the allies would make an attempt to do so by adopting a new strategic plan for 2030.
He said that the main point of the NATO strategy is to strengthen national resilience, in this respect Hungary is active, be it in the fight against the pandemic or in the fight against migration.
“We have something to say, and we have something to add to the common [effort],” the prime minister said. In the context of the commitment that by 2024 NATO member states should dedicate 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense spending, he emphasized in response to a question that “[Hungary is] doing well if we deliver on our commitments,”
According to him, it would be better if Hungary were already able to spend 2 percent of its gross national product on its own security every year.
According to Orbán, Hungary will achieve this by 2022-2023, but he reminded that there are NATO member states that are worse in this respect.
Regarding the commitment that the member states must spend 20 percent of their defense spending on development, Orbán emphasized that Hungary is already achieving this. Hungary has already fulfilled one of its commitments, the other will be fulfilled by 2023-2024, which will put Hungary at the forefront, he emphasized.
“We live in a part of the world where you can’t be without an army, there is no security without an army,” he said. For Hungarian families and the Hungarian nation, an adequate military capacity and deployable military force will always be needed. Efforts to build this are well under way, he said.
“We have neglected this for 20 or 30 years, but now I feel we are putting Hungary back on the map in this respect as well,” he said. Responding to a question on the challenges posed by China, the prime minister said: Hungary opposes all forms of the Cold War and added that he had spent 26 years of his life in Cold War conditions.
“Believe me, this is a bad thing, so let’s not do that,” Orbán added.
Title image: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (center left) and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrive at the NATO summit in Brussels on June 14. (source: Prime Minister’s press office)
