The State Secretariat for National Policy provided HUF 52.8 million (EUR 139,000) for the construction of the church.Continue reading
For Hungary, assistance is never an issue when a neighboring country is in trouble, regardless of the state of political affairs, bilateral relations, or possible disputes, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Petrinja, Croatia, on Monday.
The minister attended the inauguration of a local primary school that was rebuilt with HUF 8.7 billion (EUR 22.5 million) of Hungarian government aid after it was severely damaged in the 2020 earthquake. “We laid the foundation stone a year and a half ago and the school was able to start its operations in January this year. The students have been able to take possession of the 5,500 square meter school with 20 classrooms that now provides high quality education for 350 students,” he said, thanking the Hungarian Interchurch Aid for carrying out the works.
He noted that the natural disaster had caused the deaths of many people in the neighboring country and huge material damage worth some HUF 2,000 billion (EUR 5 billion / 1 EUR=386 HUF).
“The Hungarian government, Hungarian churches and NGOs, and Hungarian companies investing in Croatia immediately came to Croatia’s assistance,”
he said.
“A natural disaster takes away part of the past, it takes away part of life, it takes away human lives and it destroys decades of work. But what we cannot allow is for a natural disaster to take away our future. Especially not the future of our children,” the politician stressed. He said that
this was precisely why the Hungarian government had provided funding for the renovation of two schools and a church in Croatia.
The complete reconstruction of the primary school in Petrinja was supported with HUF 8.7 billion, while the renovation of the school in Topolovac was supported with HUF 60 million, and the construction of the church in Sisak with HUF 750 million.
“I wish for you that this renovated school will stand here as proof of friendship between Hungary and Croatia, between the Hungarian and Croatian nations, and as a testimony that there is no natural disaster that can take away our future and our faith,” he said.
Let the rebuilding of this school also prove that with unity and the power of friendship all difficulties can be overcome,”
he added.
The foreign minister concluded by saying that Hungary would never question assisting any of its neighbors if they were in trouble. “We will provide assistance regardless of the state of political affairs, the current state of bilateral relations, and regardless of whether we have any disputes on other issues,” the politician said. He underlined that this is currently the case in Ukraine, where the largest humanitarian operation in Hungary’s history is taking place, but similarly, the government has offered immediate assistance to Slovenia for flooding and to Romania for a hospital fire.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter