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PM Orbán: ‘We understood Merkel, she understood us’, but era of ambiguity over

MTI-Hungary Today 2021.12.06.

According to the prime minister, “the era of ambiguity, stealth politics and drifting has ended with Merkel.” In one of his so-called “Samizdat letters,” Viktor Orbán added: “We now prepare for battle with our eyes wide open.”

In the letter published on the prime minister’s website on Monday, Orbán noted that German Chancellor Angela Merkel retires on Dec. 8. “A piece of the life of Central Europeans will go with her,” the letter published in German and English said.

He wrote that Merkel “understood us” and that “we understood her”.

After a spell in opposition, first Merkel became Chancellor “and then we returned to power five years later”.

“We managed the financial crisis in 2010, we were partners in the fight to keep the European Union together, and together we watched helplessly and without recourse the European tragedy of the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

“The loyal and disciplined Germans, the rebellious and reckless Hungarians, stood together for a common goal: a Europe in which all nations can feel at home,” he wrote.

Merkel: Trade Ties with Hungary Important
Merkel: Trade Ties with Hungary Important

German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted the importance of trade cooperation with Hungary in western Hungary’s Sopron on Monday, after talks with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The chancellor told a press conference that the turnover of bilateral trade was balanced and said it was a sign of “extremely close” relations. She said that the achievements of […]Continue reading

Then in 2015 came “the migration invasion” which he called a “rupture, a fracture”.

The migration crisis uncovered “the deep philosophical, political and emotional differences” between Hungary and Germany regarding the nation, freedom, and Germany’s role, Orbán argued.

For Hungarians and other Central Europeans, he wrote, it revealed that “the homeland is essential”.

It transpired that Germans “were on a different path” from “European civilization”, and moving towards “some kind of post-Christian and post-national status”.

Hungarians, he said, understood that the Germans did not consider this a problem or “a disease of civilization to be remedied, but a natural, even desirable, and even morally superior outcome.”

“The fabric of European unity was unraveling, and there was no stopping it. Migration, gender, a federalized European Union, the dehumanization of Europe. Restoring European cooperation will require superhuman efforts in the post-secular era,” he wrote.

Merkel: Rule of Law Priority of German EU Presidency
Merkel: Rule of Law Priority of German EU Presidency

On July 8th, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, was in Brussels to take over the reins of the EU Council presidency from Croatia, where she presented the objectives of the German government at a plenary session of the European Parliament. The chancellor said that this was the first time since the outbreak that she has […]Continue reading

Orbán asks in the letter: did Merkel open the door to trouble or cave into left-wing pressure?

“Today we do not yet know the answer to this question.”

Orbán referred to what he called the new left-wing German government’s “pro-immigration, gender-friendly, federalist programme” aimed at a pro-German Europe.

Orbán lamented that the 16 years of Merkel’s tenure “did not give us the answer”.

“One thing is for sure: the era of ambiguity, stealth politics and drifting has ended with Merkel. We now prepare for battle with our eyes wide open,” his letter concludes.

Márki-Zay: “Merkel should have dealt more harshly with Orbán”
Márki-Zay: “Merkel should have dealt more harshly with Orbán”

The opposition PM candidate believes the German Chancellor's lenient approach had three pillars: Audi, Mercedes, and BMW.Continue reading

Featured photo illustration by Balázs Szecsődi/PM’s Press Office


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