Government spokesman: Orbán ‘did not hint at Hungary leaving EU’

In a statement at the website of the state secretariat for government communication, Kovacs said “While PM Orbán did talk about the challenges of the Hungary-European Union relationship,” he did not hint at Hungary leaving the bloc, as German news agency dpa stated in its headline.

“The most important thing is whether we want to stay together. Especially here in Europe because the European Union only has a future if we can stay together despite the growing cultural alienation. We, for our part, want to keep the European Union together, and that is why we have repeatedly made offers of tolerance to Brussels and to Berlin,” Kovacs cited Orbán as saying in his Saturday address.

Hungary does not expect from Brussels to adopt Hungary’s policies on migration, families or foreign affairs, Kovacs said, making reference to the prime minister’s address. At the same time, “neither can they demand that we adopt theirs,” he said.

Kovacs said that Orbán, contrary to what dpa said in its headline, had highlighted the importance of the bloc staying together, having a common future and western and central European member states showing tolerance for each other.

“So, why did the editors at DPA come up with this ridiculous, sensationalist headline? Because this is how Germany’s fake news factory works,” Kovacs said.