Photo: MTI/ Szilárd Koszticsák

“The four prime ministers will meet again in Budapest on January 26 and weʼll decide on a date then,” Orbán said in a weekly interview on public radio channel Kossuth when asked about the time frame for establishing the bank, national news agency MTI reported.  Orbán discussed the establishment of the bank with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki at a meeting in Budapest earlier this month.

Orbán reiterated remarks he made at a meeting of German business leaders earlier in January on seeking financing from China for infrastructure developments in the region. The European Unionʼs regional cohesion funds are limited, and if funding from European institutions, such as development banks, is insufficient or too costly, Central Europe needs to seek financing from outside Europe, Orbán said.

“China is willing to finance development programs in Central Europe with better conditions than European ones. China is not a danger but an opportunity,” he added.