Government official: Hungarian nation must be protected

Presenting the Kallos Zoltan Award for Hungarians Abroad to individuals and organisations working in the cultural sector beyond the border, Arpad Janos Potapi said that in a world “that is becoming increasingly uncertain”, Hungarians could take comfort in knowing that “we look after each other”.

“Hungary is home to all Hungarians,” Potapi said. “All Hungarians can count on Hungary, the way we, too, count on every Hungarian.”

The state secretary said that over “the last 12 years of nation-building”, the government had created a strong institutional system, strengthened “communities that look after each other” and helped people make a living and remain in their homeland. “The important thing now is to protect and preserve the fruits of our shared labour,” Potapi said.

“There is also the opportunity to reinvent ourselves and create something new,” he said. “The root of this can be nourished by the renewal of our national relations.”

“Knowing that we are together is what our nation needs to overcome the current difficult times,” he said.

Hungarians are a resourceful people which always chooses to find solutions when faced with difficulty, rather than give up, Potapi said. “That is another way we must now use the strong bonds we have created,” he added.

“Let’s work in such a way that we can say in a year’s time that we managed to close ranks and think together,” he said.

Potapi noted that August 20 was Hungary’s oldest national holiday. It is both a secular and a church holiday, and an important day for Hungarian ethnography, too, he added.

“March 15, August 20 and October 23 are milestones that allow us to experience national cohesion together; to feel as individuals and as a community that we are not alone in the world, and that we can count on the support and love of our fellow Hungarians everywhere,” Potapi said.