Zsolt Semjen – Photo: MTI

Deputy PM addresses Diaspora Council meeting

The time has come for Hungarian nationality to be seen as an advantage after its drawbacks of the past one hundred years, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen told a meeting of the Hungarian Diaspora Council in Budapest on Thursday.

Since 2010, the Fidesz government has fully revamped the country’s policy for Hungarians living beyond the borders and “turned challenges into opportunities”, Zsolt Semjen told the 22nd meeting of the council.

Preserving the nation and improving Hungarians’ quality of life is a priority for the government, Semjen said. “Hungary will only fully survive if all parts of the nation are preserved,” he said.

Semjen said funding for the support of Hungarians across the borders had increased tenfold every year, reaching a total of 1,300 billion forints (EUR 3.5bn).

Orbán meets Diaspora Council members

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has met members of the Hungarian Diaspora Council to discuss challenges around Hungary’s security and sovereignty, the PM’s press chief told MTI on Thursday. Bertalan Havasi quoted Orbán as saying that “the next 10-15 years will be about protecting sovereignty, not only in Hungary but in a number of other regions of the world.”

Orbán said he expected a lot of debate around the government’s sovereignty protection bill, but added that “clear restrictions must be introduced to prevent foreign funds from influencing Hungary’s elections.”

“Let us preserve Hungary as one of the most secure countries in the world amid current challenges posed by wars and migration,” the PM added.

 

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