In his Friday morning interview given to public Kossuth Radio, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the Government in the next three years will focus on improving the financial positions of wage-earning families.

The task of the previous term was to fight back the effects of the economic crises and to re-establish the national sovereignty of the country, he underlined, adding that the most important goal of the present cycle is to reinforce the financial stability of those Hungarian families that earn their livings through work. The goal is to help more and more people to become part of the middle class, Prime Minister Orbán said.

With regard to the education system, Viktor Orbán stated that it does indeed face difficulties, both structural and social ones; however, a number of elements of it have been reformed: the career model for teachers, the reform of teacher training and the compulsory education of children as of the age of 3. In the other crucial issues of this field the discussions to be carried out have been very thoroughly prepared and planned, he added.

The Prime Minister also highlighted that another priority is to improve the reimbursement of general practitioners, so that it will reflect the hard work they do. A further goal is to enhance healthy lifestyles; that is why daily physical education classes have been introduced in schools, sports establishments have been supported and public parks where people can do sports are being created.

Concerning the new road toll system, the Prime Minister pointed out that it is currently on a "test run". The county-based ticket is widely supported, as it is cost-effective; however, this is the time when everybody is encouraged to raise their voices. At the end of the trial period the Government will assess experiences and come to a "reasonable" conclusion.

The governance tasks are being carried out as usual; it is the field of politics where there are more conflicts. The protests that we see today are not about the Government, the Prime Minister explained, they are about the struggle of the opposition. This phenomenon is a natural one; we will see the currently apparent forceful ways of expressions as long as the opposition finds its final form, he concluded.

Regarding upcoming diplomatic meetings, Prime Minister Orbán said the visits by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin are in "different phases". He meets Chancellor Merkel every two months in Brussels, thus this appears "less unusual" for Hungarians. The visit also has a date and agenda set, whereas the visit by President Putin is only planned without decisions made on the time and subjects to be discussed as yet. Viktor Orbán insisted that Hungary needs secure ties with both Germany and Russia.

When thinking about the meeting with President Putin, the interests of the Hungarian people are taken into account: to be safe from conflicts at a time of cold-war like circumstances. At the same time, we have to fulfill our obligations as members of the European Union and NATO, he underlined.

As for Hungary-US relations, the Prime Minister said there are no new developments on any level in the matter concerning the President of NAV and Chargé d’Affairs André Goodfriend. Concerning expectations of the coming weeks, we hope that the situation will improve as the current one is not serving the interests of anybody and pushes positive aspects of otherwise successful relations to the USA in the background, he said.

The Prime Minister also expressed his deepest condolences regarding the terrorist attack of Wednesday, calling it a brutal and barbaric outrage that no words can describe.

According to the report of the Hungarian Counter Terrorism Centre, there is no increased danger in Hungary; however, we face an era where everything is uncertain, therefore the Government must aim at ensuring security in the country, he said.

(Prime Minister's Office)