Hungary does not agree to economically unacceptable measures adopted in Brussels, no sanctions against Russia are equal to an atom bomb, because then not only will we be unable to feed our people, but we will have mass migration on our borders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, opening an international agricultural fair in Novi Sad, Serbia.
“We have galloping inflation, rising prices, hunger and conflicts in Ukraine, but the good news is that based on the talks with Vucic, I can say that Hungary can count on Serbia and Serbia can count on Hungary. We have important food reserves and our two countries are also safe when it comes to gas,” Orban said.
Orban pointed out that all people in the world need to be provided with enough food so that there would be no hunger and no new mass migrations.
He noted that a difficult winter is coming, according to him, harder than many people think, adding that Serbia is on the right track to prepare for it, while Hungary needs to make several more decisions in the coming weeks.
He pointed out that the crisis in Ukraine has put everyone in a difficult position and that “it is difficult for Serbia because it is not a member of the EU, and it is difficult for Hungary because it is a member of the Union.”
He recalled that an important project of the Belgrade-Budapest high-speed railway, which, although criticised, showed that it was an important decision to provide a transport line from Greek ports to Central and Western Europe now that transportation through Ukraine was unsafe.
He also pointed out that Hungary did not agree with the decisions taken in Brussels, which he said were unacceptable and would lead to higher prices in Hungary itself.
“We have 10 million people, if we manage well we can feed 20 million, but we need to make sure that sanctions are not taken with unintended consequences,” Orban said.
He said the sanctions imposed against Russia were tantamount to an “atomic bomb” because they could have huge economic consequences.
“We have to think about war, but we have to feed our people and all the people in the world,” Orban reiterated.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opened the 89th International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, whose partner this year is Hungary, and which runs until 27 May.