Weekly government press briefing about president election, US criticism, migration – UPDATE

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will start a broad consultation in February next year about whom he should recommend to Fidesz lawmakers as the next president of Hungary, government office chief János Lázár said. Hungarian-born US financier George Soros is behind recent negative remarks targeting Hungary, he said on Thursday.

Government: Soros ‘behind anti-Hungary remarks’

Soros’s flagship idea is one advocated by US President Barack Obama, Lázár said at a regular press briefing, namely that migrants should be moved to Europe. The Hungarian government believes that Soros is an influential supporter of the US Democratic Party and the Clintons and he will “make room” for his views at any cost. He added that Soros is likely to take action soon against the Orban government “which is considered one of his most dangerous political enemies in Europe”.

Soros “can always be detected in the background,” Lázár insisted.

Hungary is against migration, a position that conflicts with that of “several European powers and the United States”, Lázár said.

At a campaign event for his wife at the College of New Jersey last week, former US President Bill Clinton referred to Hungary and Poland as “two countries that would not be free but for the United States and the long Cold War”. Clinton added that now Hungarians decided democracy was “too much trouble” and wanted a Putin-style leadership.

Asked by US news agency AP, Josh Earnest, spokesman for the White House, said that he was unaware of the Hungarian minister’s remarks. He added, however, that “I’m not sure they’re worthy of a response.”

Concerning ties with the US, Lázár said that the Hungarian government is interested in strong bilateral relations, and while “Hungary is a reliable partner in such areas as defence or business, there are some issues on which there is no agreement”. Lázár insisted that “some US circles” think that Europe needs immigrants. “We don’t see eye-to-eye with those Americans”. He added that he would not “identify those interest groups with the US administration”.

Referring to the current situation in Hungary, Lázár said that since the beginning of the year 11,800 illegal migrants have entered Hungary, and 2,472 of them were staying in the country at the moment. This year, 221 migrants in Hungary have been granted international protection.