Hungary remembers the heroes of the 1848-49 revolutionContinue reading
“Hungarians are still the people of freedom, Hungary is still the country of freedom, and if necessary we are a freedom-fighting people,” Péter Szijjártó, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, stressed on Wednesday at the town hall in Győr, western Hungary, at an event marking Hungary’s national holiday, the anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and freedom fight.
According to Péter Szijjártó, in the past 13 years, Hungary has emerged from every crisis stronger than before.
We have never met expectations, we have never looked for guidelines, we have only looked at the Hungarian national interest,”
he said. The minister mentioned that thirteen years ago, Hungary was in an extremely bad economic situation as a result of the global financial crisis, but with national unity managed to build one of the fastest-growing economies in the European region.
Eight years ago, “hordes of migrants invaded our country, showing no respect for the people living here.” At the time, there were many in Europe who wanted to take away our right to decide for ourselves with whom we were willing to live, he recalled. Instead, Hungarians organized the defense of their borders, defended themselves, the country and the people living here. “Today we decide here with whom we are willing to live in this beautiful country,” he added.
Szijjártó went on to point out that a little over a year ago, a war started in Hungary’s neighborhood.
It is not our war, yet enormous forces have moved and are still moving to this day to drag us into this war, to squeeze us into it,”
he warned. According to Szijjártó, Hungarians have kept their freedom to decide what actions they support in Brussels.
At the ceremony, the foreign minister received the title of honorary citizen of Győr. He recalled that this year it will be 25 years since he entered the Assembly Hall at the age of 20 as the youngest member of the council. Szijjártó was born in Komárom in northwest Hungary, but graduated from high school in Győr in 1997. He entered political life in 1998, when he was elected to the Győr Assembly. He subsequently stood in several elections in Győr-Moson-Sopron County.
Featured photo via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter