Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared that the 500-year era of Western civilization dominance has ended, and the strategy of Westernizing the world has failed. He stated that the center of the global economy has shifted to the East, and the coming century will be the age of Eurasia.
Orban, speaking at the “Eurasia” forum in Budapest, argued that liberal progressive dominance in the West has ended, and the idea that all nations should follow the Western model has failed. He emphasized that Asian nations have grown stronger and established themselves as independent political and economic powers, with Eastern economies now growing four times faster than those in the West.
According to Orban, Europe is the main loser in this global shift, and if the EU were part of the U.S., it would rank as the third poorest state. He noted that no European country is among the top five global economies today.
He criticized Europe’s inability to adapt to the Eurasian context, lamenting the lack of intellectual strength among European leaders to forge relationships with Asian countries. Orban suggested that without change, Europe’s economic lag would persist.
Earlier, Orban warned that the global economy might split into East and West due to Western policies, including sanctions. He stated that Hungary seeks an independent economic model, balancing ties with both Eastern and Western economies, while avoiding strict alignment with either bloc. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also emphasized the importance of cooperation with Asia to prevent Europe’s economic decline.
