In recent years, major sporting investments have been made, and in recognition of this, Hungarian venues have been awarded the right to host an increasing number of events.Continue reading
In a situation where the European economy and we Hungarians find ourselves, we must take steps that build on each other to bring down inflation, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Kossuth Radio’s Friday morning program.
The Prime Minister pointed out: if the war were to end, the context in which the European economy finds itself would change in an instant. Peace would also be good for the warring parties because hundreds and thousands of lives would be spared, he added. He said that the correct political and moral position is that peace is needed, but only the Vatican, outside our country, represents this.
The prime minister said that bringing down inflation is proving to be a tough nut to crack. He recalled that the policy of stopping price speculators from raising prices without justification had to be clearly announced. “Enough is enough,” he said. The prime minister stressed that this would help in achieving single-digit inflation by the end of the year. He said that the results of the measures would be reflected in the August inflation figures.
Prime Minister Orbán said that the third quarter is already noticeably better than the second, and his goal is to achieve “a positive zero” in real wages and growth by the end of the year, meaning that wage increases in the second half of the year could offset all the bad things that happened in the first half. There has been a “brutal” rise in prices, while wages could not keep up the pace, so wage increases must be targeted, Mr Orbán said. He added that the 2024 budget foresees an inflation rate of 6%, which is high, but it is the minimum we need to achieve. If we can keep up the work, it could be 5 percent, the Prime Minister said.
Drone footage of the National Athletic Center. Photo: MTI/Máthé Zoltán
Viktor Orbán pointed out that there is a link between the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and economic growth, but he believes that there is more to it than that. We have set ourselves the goal of making the capital the host city for world events, he said. He recalled that it all started with the renovation of the Hungexpo conference center, followed by cultural facilities, and the third big step was the world of sporting events. All these will bring the world to Budapest. The Prime Minister said that the World Athletics Championships fitted into this series, and thanked the organizers of the event.
Today, Budapest is a national capital where you have to come. People rightly feel that if they do not come here, they are missing out on something, Mr Orbán pointed out. He stated: Budapest belongs to everyone!
Viktor Orbán also stressed the diplomatic importance of the World Athletics Championships, and mentioned that the Emir of Qatar and the President of Serbia would be visiting the country along with the Turkish President. He added that Hungary will also have “political friends” from the Central Asian region, including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, and many business people from all over the world, especially from Western Europe and China.
He indicated that political and business talks will also be held and that as Prime Minister he will have more than a dozen official bilateral meetings during the 20 August celebrations and the World Cup.
Viktor Orbán also spoke about the celebration of 20 August. He recalled that Hungarian history has been winding and stormy. He said that 1100 years ago we came from far away, and since then we have lived here as an island, but we are holding on to what we have. The Prime Minister said that St. Stephen played a key role in ensuring that we have the opportunity to do so, that we have a tradition and culture which helps us to survive.
The Prime Minister has also attend the inauguration of the Rheinmetall plant in Zalaegerszeg. In praising the investment, the Prime Minister recalled: the Hungarian defense industry has been in decline for the past twenty years, so now we need to talk about how to rebuild it.
Rheinmetall’s new factory in Zalaegerszeg: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
We cannot survive without strength. To survive, we need spiritual strength, but we also need military strength. We should have warriors, not workers in uniform!
The most important is the soldier. The emphasis is on training, on pay. But we also need military industry. Without our own production, we cannot create a functioning army,” said the Prime Minister. He then pointed out that the lesson of the Russian-Ukrainian war is that it is not only how many weapons you have, but also how many you can produce.
Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured Image: Facebook Orbán Viktor