Orbán said it was legitimate to expect wholesalers and retailers to ensure that Hungarians bought fuel at the same price as the citizens of other countries in the region, and fuel businesses should adjust their profits accordingly. He added that he had asked Márton Nagy, the national economy minister, to negotiate with these businesses rather than coerce them.

He said these businesses based their calculations on Central Statistical Office (KSH) regional data which included Polish, Czech and Bulgarian prices as well as those pertaining to neighbouring countries, and the businesses regarded this as unfair.

So the average price the government wants the Hungarian price level linked to is being recalculated without the Polish, Czech and Bulgarian data, he said, adding that Hungarian consumers must not have to pay more for fuel than the average price in neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, Orbán said that Hungary’s economy would remain focused on Europe, noting the importance of the German market for the economy, though its radius must be expanded.

Germany, he added, had been “knocked out” by the war “because they isolated themselves” and also the US isolated Germany from the Russian energy system.

Orbán said that growth in Hungary was heavily reliant on “our most natural sales market”, western Europe, which was “sick and bedridden”, and this could be the case for another year or two.

“It’s not by chance that the Chinese president is coming to Hungary next week,” he said, noting that Hungary has increased its activity in Central Asia, “and our economic ties with Africa are also improving”.

MTI Photo: János Marjai

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