Donald Trump made a historic statement that it is every country’s right to put itself first, Orbán said. Change, he added, will happen soon and the era of multilateralism will come to an end. After the 2008 economic crisis, a paradigm shift took place in world politics, Orbán said.

Whereas the world had been unipolar, it is now becoming multipolar. This shift is unprecedented and there is no consensus on what the new global political structure will look like, he said. Preparations must be made for a multipolar world, he said in his speech entitled Europe in 2017.

“There is no single model of salvation,” he said, arguing that instead of multilateral agreements bilateral relations would receive greater emphasis. Europe is hit by a competitiveness, demographic, security and foreignpolicy crisis, Orbán said.

As for the foreign policy aspect of the crisis, Europe is barely capable of influencing events taking place in the region, Orbán said, noting the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Orbán insisted that Europe’s economic growth would not exceed 1-2% in the next few years, adding that Europe had once been globally relevant before becoming a regional power. “Europe will lose its status as a global player and become a regional player, and it will soon struggle to remain a regional power,” Orbán said.

The prime minister said Europe was focusing its strengths on the wrong goals, arguing that it had failed to achieve any of its plans and had become a “slave” to the “Utopian idea” of a “supranational” Europe.

He said there was no single European people, only European peoples, adding that Europe had only been strong when it had strong multiple centres of power. Europe needs more self-confidence, Orbán said.

Europe must state that it is capable of protecting itself without outside help, he said, adding that a joint European defence alliance would enable Europe to negotiate with everybody, including Russia, as equal partners.

He urged a new agreement with the US to replace stalled trade talks. In addition, opportunities need to be found to make a deal with China, and the issue of Russia should be put back on the agenda, he added.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.