Viktor Orbán Thanks Slovak National-Conservatives for Their Support

In a social media post, Slovak MEP Milan Uhrík, who is Vice-Chairman of the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group, revealed a personal letter addressed to him by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on October 11.

“Prime Minister Orbán has sent me a letter in which he calls for the cooperation of patriots in protecting themselves from the malignant policies of the liberals,” said the leader of the Slovak party Republika in his post.

Viktor Orbán’s letter reads as follows:

“Dear Mr. Uhrík! I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the support you have shown towards Hungary during the European Parliament’s plenary debate on the program of activities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU on 9 October 2024.
Europe is in trouble. Wars are raging in Ukraine, in the Middle East and Africa. The migration crisis has reached new heights, threatening to tear the Schengen area apart. In the meantime, Europe is losing its competitiveness and lagging behind the United States and China.
We need to act! I can assure you that the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU will do its utmost to give common sense answers to these challenges. In this spirit, I count on your support in making Europe great again,” concludes the Hungarian Prime Minister’s letter.

In his earlier address to the European Parliament, the Slovak politician called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to “be inspired by Hungary and not try to punish it at all costs… The European Union really does not need more migrants, more war, more debt, more bans on combustion engines…. But it does need politicians, leaders who care about peace and the prosperity of Europe,” Milan Uhrík told the Parliament in Strassbourg.
In his social media video message, he repeated Orbán’s words, saying that the time has come to act, “in the spirit of cooperation, in the spirit of reciprocity, and in the spirit of a constructive future!

We must stop the progressives, otherwise they will destroy not only Slovakia but also the whole of Europe,”

he added.

Although the two politicians would not have been considered natural allies just over a decade ago or so, as Slovak nationalists have a difficult history in their stance towards the Hungarian minority in Slovakia, the exchange of messages between the two politicians is a sign that times are changing. The political right has now established its battle lines on the boundary between national values and globalist progressivism, instead of focusing on confrontation along the lines of national identity or historic grievances as previously. The vast majority of Republika’s voters also approve of these warming of relations and a close co-operation between Hungarian and Slovak conservatives.

In general, Orbán is considered a positive figure on the Slovak right, while demonized among Slovak progressives and liberals. At the same time, dissatisfaction with the performance of Prime Minister Robert Fico is growing among Slovak conservatives, which is reflected in recent polls, in which his party has been relegated to second place by their arch rivals, Progressive Slovakia. This could be due to his recent ambiguous statements concerning Slovakia’s stance on Ukraine, as well as his continued, yet unsuccessful attempt to join the group of European Socialists in the EP, despite a national sovereigntist’s rhetoric for his domestic audience.

The exchange of messages could also be interpreted as a warming of relations between the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group and the Patriots for Europe (PfE) in the European Parliament. The ESN’s largest member by far is the Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose program shares strong similarities to that of the Hungarian government party, FIDESZ. Although the relations between the two have not been formalized due to FIDESZ’s historic ties to its former EPP partners from Germany, the CDU and CSU, in view of recent vicious attacks and threats of a change of government in Budapest from the two Germany legacy parties, the balance of relations can change in the future. Hostile personal comments against Viktor Orbán by EPP leader Manfred Weber (CSU), and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) during the recent plenary debate could accelerate this schism and strengthen ties between parties of the PfE and ESN.

Featured Image: Genevieve ENGEL, European Union 2023 – Source : EP