New Year Diplomatic Reception

Hungarian President János Áder held his traditional new year reception this Monday at the Palace of Arts for diplomats accredited in Budapest.

In his speech, President Áder voiced his opinion that “it is the most beautiful tradition of Europe that each country shapes its future with their own past experience and national goals, accepting European values.”

He emphasized that 1990 was a turning point for Hungarians, “as for thirty years, we left behind a world where Hungarians were not citizens in their own country but the subjects of foreign occupiers, and where it was imperative to love an oppressive power.”

He stressed that “thirty years ago, we left behind a world where lies were institutionalized: history was rewritten, the 1956 revolution was called as a counter-revolution, economic data were falsified, sins were denied, innocents were imprisoned. Thirty years ago, we left behind a world where it was forbidden to form a community with others, "he said.