Hungary's Orban says Meloni is 'Christian sister' who shares cultural roots

CERNOBBIO, Italy (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed his close relationship with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on Friday, describing her as his "Christian sister", and said cultural identity was playing a growing role in European politics.

Meloni, who has been in power since 2022 at helm of a right-wing coalition, joined a post-Fascist party in her youth, but now governs as a national conservative.

"She is not just a colleague of (mine), she is a Christian sister of mine," Orban told journalists on the sidelines of the TEHA economic forum in Cernobbio, northern Italy.

Sharing cultural roots previously "did not play a lot of a role in European politics, but now we are approaching a new era," the Hungarian leader added.

Before winning power, Meloni famously described herself in a speech as "I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am a Christian, and you can't take that away from me".

She and Orban see eye to eye on a range of issues, including on the need for tougher immigration policies and defending traditional family values against what they call the LGBT lobby.

Orban has cast himself as a defender of Hungary's cultural identity against Muslim immigration and a protector of Christian values against Western liberalism.

Meloni, however, is a staunch defender of Ukraine, while Orban is the European Union leader most criticalof the bloc's support for Kyiv's war against its Russian invader.

(Reporting by Giancarlo Navach and Elvira Pollina, writing by Alvise Armellini, Editing by William Maclean)