Viktor Orbán “has always been a hero,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Sunday, stating that he holds the Hungarian prime minister in the “highest regard.”
In an interview with Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Juncker described his respect for the Hungarian leader, whom he previously famously once greeted with the words “Hello, dictator.”
“I have known him since the latter half of the '90s, when he first became prime minister. Previously, I admired him for the courage he showed when the Soviet army was still stationed in Hungary,” Juncker said.
“For me, he has always been a hero. I also have a good personal relationship with him. And I am sure he would say the same of me,” Juncker said. He added: “For years I called Orbán, privately, a dictator and he would laugh about it.”
