Hungary PM Orban: I must fight French President Macron on immigration

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during the weekly government news conference in Budapest, Hungary, January 10, 2019. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday said he considers French President Emmanuel Macron the leader of Europe's "pro-immigration forces", and therefore he had a duty to oppose him.

"There is no denying that Emmanuel Macron is an important figure, moreover, the leader of the pro-immigration forces," Orban told a press conference.

"It is nothing personal, but a matter of our countries' future. If what he wants with regards to migration materialises in Europe, that would be bad for Hungary, therefore I must fight him."

(Reporting by Budapest newsroom; Editing by Toby Chopra)