The European Union (EU) is gradually weakening whereas Turkey is succeeding from globalization, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday while visiting Turkey to receive an honorary PhD from Marmara University in Istanbul.
"In the past, when we heard of news about Europe, it was usually good news," Orban said while commenting on the EU during his speech at the ceremony. "Today generally bad news comes out of the EU. Nowadays the EU is a crisis-stricken area."
Emphasizing the serious debts of EU countries, Orban said, "whether we like it or not, the crisis is no longer a temporary one; we cannot expect it to be overcome in the near future."
On the other hand, he praised the growth Turkey has experienced in the last 13 years by saying, "Turkey's development has been outstanding. It is clear that Turkey is among the winning sides of globalization."
As a solution to the EU crisis, Orban suggested solid integration within the Eurozone, the strengthening of the economic and monetary union, and expansion involving Balkan states and Turkey.
"Not allowing Eastern European nations to be EU members after the system change was a mistake; we should not repeat the same mistake with Turkey," he added.
Orban will also meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Speaker of Parliament Cemil Cicek and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in capital Ankara.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
