"The National Assembly salutes Poland celebrating its 100th anniversary of independence and bows its head in respect before the heroes of Polish freedom," reads the text of a law passed by Hungary's parliament on December 12 to mark the centennial of Poland's independence. The proposal to pass the law was submitted by deputies of the ruling Fidesz and Christian Democratic People's parties, including Parliament Speaker László Kövér. The law was passed by 130 votes in favor with none against or abstentions.
At the beginning of the third day of the 74th sitting of the Sejm, the Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński informed that on behalf of himself, the Parliament of the Republic of Poland and all the Poles, he had expressed his heartfelt thanks to the deputies of the Hungarian Parliament and the Speaker of the National Assembly for this initiative. He also announced that all MPs will receive the Polish translation of the Hungarian law.
"In the past hundred years, the fates of Hungarians and Poles have been intertwined many times, and the most famous and important examples of this were the reception of Polish refugees in Hungary during World War II and taking care of them, as well as the Polish attitude and assistance during the Hungarian revolution and struggle for freedom in 1956." - The document recalled. The law also points out that during World War I, some 50 Hungarian volunteers fought for Polish freedom, and the victory in the Battle of Warsaw enabled the Poles to receive arms supplies from Hungary.
In the act, Parliament authorized the government to make decisions on the education system that will contribute to the continuation of Polish-Hungarian friendship in future generations. In the text of the act, Hungarian parliamentarians stressed that the friendship between the two nations is an important element of the Visegrad Group's cooperation, which is essential to the countries' interests in the EU. "Based on the historical commonality of destinies, the close bond between Hungary and Poland, which guard their state independence, is an inalienable condition both for the realization of our national interests and for increasing the influence of Central Europe in the European system of cooperation," - it stressed.