Gulyas: Hungary must seek peace

In his speech, Gergely Gulyas noted the importance of living in peace “when in a neighbouring country peace was destroyed overnight”.

Similarly to 1848-49, “freedom is endangered again”, he said, adding that “still, there is peace in Hungary and we must protect that and avoid war”.

With war in the neighbourhood such that Hungary has not experienced for 25 years, all state agencies must now fulfil crucial tasks, Gulyas said, adding that “it must be made clear that Hungary can protect peace here and in the neighbourhood, too, if required.”

Hungary must provide shelter to refugees, and “mediate wherever and in which we can”, he said, adding he hoped that peace could soon be restored.

Concerning Hungary’s freedom fight which broke out on March 15, 1848, Gulyas called those developments a turning point in history, and said the goals of legislation passed in April that year were still valid.

“It is our task to meet and preserve those goals … through which we have been living in peace, freedom, and democracy for the past thirty years,” he said.

March 15 has become a symbol for all Hungarians, “providing a link between them and lending hope in hard times”, he said.

On the occasion of the holiday, Gulyas handed over the Order of Hungary and the Cross of Merit, as well as Batthyany, Mocsenyi, Magyary, and Forster prizes.