At the opening of the World Science Forum in Budapest, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Europe is currently under invasion, but it has yet to appreciate the gravity of the problem: there is a challenge to its very culture, way of life and pattern of existence up to now.
At the event held at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Prime Minister said that this unprecedented challenge “could crush and bury under itself the form of existence we have known up to now”, and therefore the stakes are enormous.
The crisis signals our fear of having run out of opportunities, and of not having sufficient strength, knowledge and means to continue the ordinary course of life, Mr. Orbán explained. In his opinion we must together look for new opportunities arising from new challenges, and therefore this forum and similar meetings are extremely important.
The Prime Minister told the attendees of the WSF that it is a great honour for Hungary that Budapest can once again welcome prominent figures in world science, decision-makers and experts who research the links between science and society. Four years ago, when the event was also held in Budapest, the central topic was the economic crisis, and the ways in which “we can pull Europe’s cart out of the mud”, he said.
This year, however, he said that if a leading politician speaks out in the countries of the western world, something is bound to be said about migration, the causes of modern-day mass migration, and the effects and consequences of the movement of extremely large numbers of people; indeed, he said, he had no choice regarding the topic of his speech.
Mr. Orbán stressed that in Europe “we are living in crazy, interesting times”. Europe is under pressure from an enormous mass migration, and the whole world is observing what is happening in astonishment. “We must confront a flood of people pouring out of the Middle East”, while tens of millions are preparing to set out, and globally people’s desire to continue their lives elsewhere is increasing, he said. He added that this is one of the largest tides of people in history, with the threat of tragic consequences; it is a new global mass migration which we cannot see the end of.
The Prime Minister said that economic migrants, refugees and drifting masses are arriving together; this is an uncontrolled and unregulated process. Europe is under invasion, and this feeling is not alleviated by knowing that the countries neighbouring the war zones are even worse off than we are, he pointed out.
The Prime Minister said that “what is happening, what will happen and what we allow to happen” has significance beyond the borders of Europe or Western civilisation. Behind the processes a new map of a cultural, world power and global economic realignment is unfolding, and this map could involve changes with far-reaching consequences – including armed conflicts.
He believes that as the pressure of migration is of a global nature, it is reasonable that the whole world should take its share in managing the situation. Preserving peace, keeping the processes under control and maintaining the stability of political leaderships are in everyone’s best interests, he explained.
Mr. Orbán said that there are two types of person: one who looks at what is, and one who looks at what is not. The type that ponders upon what exists and the type that ponders upon what does not exist. One is locked into the problems of the present, and the other starts from the assumption that the world is always more than what we see or know of it at any given time, and therefore asks new questions and finds new answers. We need the latter type of person in politics today, and in this science may be of great assistance. It is the essence of science to look for that which does not yet exist, that which we do not yet know about, he explained. He added that we must prove that we have not run out of opportunities, and there are solutions with which we may overcome the challenges we face.
The Prime Minister said that those in politics, economics and science must bear in mind that no single field can exist purely for its own sake. We must give people solutions, and this is something which calls for sobriety and more humility than ever before. “History has moved, and unless we are careful reality will bury us under itself”, he said.
Mr. Orbán went on to say that “we are blindly racing towards an uncertain outcome”. No good can come from this, he said, and yet one has the feeling in the West that we are not doing enough to prevent it. We must return to the path of common sense, and to “the elementary reflexes of self-defence which do not allow the core values of humanity to fall victim to the shocks induced by a world in motion”, the Prime Minister concluded.
Participants have come to Budapest from more than one hundred countries to attend the World Science Forum. The topics at the forum include issues of international cooperation in the fields of climate change and the risks of disasters, the epidemics of the last few years and their global health risks, the relationship of science and innovation, and the challenges of global migration.
Viktor Orbán’s Speech at the Opening of the World Science Forum
(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)