11 May 2018, Celje

I would like to make five remarks.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Honourable President Janša and Mrs. Janša,

First of all, I would like to pass on the greetings of your Hungarian sister parties: Fidesz and the Christian Democratic People’s Party wish the Slovenian Democratic Party success in the coming election. The general election campaign in Hungary came to an end a month ago, the new Parliament was formed last week, and I took my prime-ministerial oath yesterday. As someone who has both won and lost elections, I can give you a piece of advice: listen to your president; it is not opinion polls that you must win, but the election. Therefore I advise you to continue fighting until the last minute – right up until time is called on the election contest. Go out there, go out there and fight! With due modesty, let me say that I was happy to accept your invitation, because I thought that I might bring you luck. Once before, in 2004, I was invited to your congress; and after that you succeeded in winning.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am convinced that, like the Hungarians, you have also reached one of the most important elections in your history: you face a decision perhaps more important than any since your country declared its independence. You have arrived at a watershed moment, and you must make a momentous decision. We appreciate the gravity of the decision, because at many times and in many ways history has linked us together: for a long time we were part of the same state formation; together we endured the suffering of decades of communism; together we lived through the double-dealing of the post-communist period; together we joined the European Union; and in 2015 together we experienced the largest population movement in modern times.

I’d like to make it clear that we Hungarians respect Slovenia and the Slovenian people. You have a beautiful country, and we Hungarians have an interest in you doing well. Those who own a house are well aware that its value is influenced by the value of their neighbour’s house. Therefore we Hungarians want Slovenia to do well – not only out of friendship, but also out of self-interest. We want you to be satisfied and to be a happy and rich people – as that will also benefit us Hungarians. Let me remind both you and ourselves that we have a Slovenian minority in Hungary and you have a Hungarian minority in Slovenia. I’d like to thank you for having treated the Hungarians well in recent years, and I promise you that in the years ahead we Hungarians will also continue to treat Slovenians living in Hungary well – with fairness and respect.

And now a few words about Europe. My Friends, we want a strong Europe, we want peace in Europe, and we want to conclude mutually advantageous agreements in the EU. But when Europe surrendered to illegal immigration, everything that we had jointly worked towards for so long immediately changed. That was the moment when the countries of Central Europe had to speak out – although I am convinced that none of us aspired to a political role on the European stage. We spoke out not only in our own nations’ interest, but also in the interest of Europe – and we had to point out that this would end very badly.

If Europe surrenders to mass population movement and immigration, our own continent will be lost. And, Dear Friends, 2015 was only a precursor of what will soon follow. Tens of millions aim to travel from Africa to Europe, and we must understand that they will continue to come for as long as Europe fails to protect its borders, for as long as it sends out invitations to the citizens of poor countries, and for as long as they see that they have even the slightest chance of entering Europe. I know this is tough talk, but unless we focus our attention on this, we could lose our countries. We could lose our homelands, and they could end up in the hands of outsiders. The aim is to settle among us people who do not belong to our culture, and who will want to live here according to their own religions and customs. In response to this, we Hungarians say that our hearts are not made of stone: we are compassionate people – indeed we are Christians. We must therefore help – but we must not destroy our own country in the process. We must help by taking assistance to where it is needed, rather than bringing the problems here.

And now I’d like to say a few words about your party, about the SDS, as we see it. You are facing important decisions. We look at the map of Slovenian politics, we see your opponents, and I can safely say that you mustn’t entrust the momentous decisions which you face to disposable little parties of uncertain origin which have appeared from nowhere. You also cannot leave these decisions to people who we know have jumped out of the coat pockets of Marx and Lenin. It is shameful, Dear Friends, that in Europe today there are leaders who pay homage to the memory of Marx. In the battle we are facing we need experienced and battle-hardened warriors who are not afraid of their own shadows. We need a strong and stable political environment which can build a strong and stable country. We need a community which speaks from the heart and to the heart. The Slovenian Democratic Party is such a community. You have always been able to make the most of your victories, and you have also been able to get back on your feet after being knocked down. This is why today you are on the threshold of victory: because you are strong, you have been built on democratic foundations, you have a history, you continuously stand up for your values, and your leader is a man who is not afraid to call a spade a spade.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Back home in Hungary we know precisely that your party, the SDS, and Fidesz are in the same situation: we are struggling with the same historic dilemmas. And finally, Dear Friends, please allow me to say a few words about your President, about Janez Janša – even though he won’t be happy about it. We know him. There are some who don’t like to be praised face to face, but allow me to say a few words. There is a well-known political saying that politics is more dangerous than war, because in war one is only killed once. At first this sounds shocking, but in fact it is an optimistic thought, because it means that those engaged in politics can rise from the dead more than once. When I write this in my speeches, I always have Janez Janša in mind.

Dear Friends,

Today we need strong and responsible leaders, calm and serious statesmen: leaders who love their countries, who are brave, who have experience, who understand the world, and who also have a vision of the world. You can be proud that you are entering the election campaign with such a president.

Dear Friends,

What is at stake in Europe today is no less than the survival of nations. I profess, I believe in my heart, that if Janez Janša wins, if the Slovenian Democratic Party wins, it will guarantee the survival of the Slovenian nation. And – as has been true in past centuries – we Slovenians and Hungarians will also continue to remain good neighbours for the next thousand years.

God bless Slovenia!

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)