Marshal of the Sejm Marek Kuchcinski, during the first day of his official visit to Hungary, met with representatives of the highest Hungarian state authorities: prime minister Viktor Orban, chairman of the Hungarian National Assembly László Kövér and Minister of Foreign Economy and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Péter Szijjártó.
He began his visit with a meeting with the President of the Hungarian National Assembly, László Kövér. The chairman of the Polish-Hungarian Parliamentary Group, MP Piotr Naimski, also took part in the talks. Among other things, the politicians discussed prospects for the development of special Polish-Hungarian relations at the parliamentary level. One of the main topics of the meeting was also the strengthening of cooperation within the framework of the Visegrad Group (V4) and, if possible, in a broader dimension including countries - from the region of Central and Eastern Europe. The future of the European Union was also an important issue discussed at the meeting.
The interlocutors agreed on the vital importance of cooperation between the Visegrad countries and the possibility of intensifying it in the parliamentary dimension - in view of the emerging proposals for the federalization of Europe. The Speaker of the Sejm and the President of the Hungarian National Assembly considered it extremely important to increase the frequency of parliamentary meetings in the V4 format - so that they are held at least every six months
The future shape of the European Union was also a topic of today's talks, particularly in the context of European migration policy and the European Commission's proposal for the compulsory relocation of migrants coming to Europe, as well as work on a trade agreement between the EU and the United States. The interlocutors noted the need for a broad discussion of these issues and the need to respect the sovereignty of EU member states. The politicians also agreed that the upcoming meeting of EU parliament presidents in Luxembourg would be a good opportunity to discuss the above issues.
Marek Kuchcinski and László Kövér unanimously assessed that the intensely developing parliamentary contacts between our countries confirm how deep the Polish-Hungarian friendship is. The Sejm Speaker stressed that Poland and Hungary have always stood together in defense of such values as freedom, sovereignty and independence. The intensive inter-parliamentary cooperation is evidenced, among other things, by the adoption by the Sejm, the Senate and the Hungarian National Assembly of resolutions establishing 2016 as the Year of Polish-Hungarian Solidarity in connection with the 60th anniversary of the June events in Poznan and the October events in Budapest.
After the meeting, in the presence of the media, the Speaker of the Sejm and the President of the Hungarian Parliament jointly signed a letter addressed to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Pedro Agramunt, on the possibility of bringing other countries closer to the common history of Poland and Hungary - the 1956 anniversary celebrations. - through the presentation of the exhibition "Shattered Cities. Poznan-Budapest 1956." The exhibition was prepared by Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, in cooperation with the Hungarian Institute of Culture in Warsaw and the Hungarian Institute for the History of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
Speaker Kuchcinski also made an entry in the commemorative book of the Hungarian National Assembly.
At a luncheon given by the speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly in honor of the Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Marek Kuchcinski thanked for the invitation to visit Hungary. He stressed the importance of meetings and consultations at the highest state, government and parliamentary levels - They can be summed up by saying that a thousand years of togetherness, friendship and cooperation have not tired us out, have not grown stale, because we still need their development. They can be characterized as a triad: heritage - continuation - future. The Speaker of the Sejm drew attention to the great value of relations between our nations - Desiring their further development, we refer to the historical roots that defined us, but also to the events of recent history that brought us together. I'm talking about the unique significance of 1956, the year when the brotherhood and solidarity of the Polish-Hungarian modern era was confirmed. Marshal Kuchcinski also spoke about the very important 60th anniversary of those tragic June events for Poles and Hungarians - We will meet many more times this year to honor those events and their heroes, and I am happy to be in Budapest today among friends.
The national anthems of Poland and Hungary began today's ceremony to unveil a memorial plaque in honor of Romek Strzałkowski, a 13-year-old victim of the Poznan June 1956. The ceremony on the grounds of the Ferenc Tsik Elementary School in Budapest was attended by Marshal of the Sejm Marek Kuchcinski, who was on an official visit to Hungary. The plaque hung next to the one commemorating Peter Mansfeld, a 15-year-old who joined the 1956 Hungarian National Uprising and was executed three years later, becoming the youngest victim of repression following the suppression of the revolution.
The Speaker of the Sejm thanked all those involved in today's ceremony, including the school's management and local authorities for commemorating this teenage Polish hero who died tragically in Poznań in 1956. Marek Kuchciński stressed that the memory of the events of 60 years ago is extremely important for the young generation that will one day govern. As he said, for young people living in those difficult years, such as Romek Strzałkowski and Peter Mansfeld, as well as for young people today - the word freedom and all that it contains - is a value. The Speaker of the Sejm expressed the hope that both young heroes will continue to be symbols of Polish-Hungarian brotherhood and solidarity.
In his speech, Hungarian National Assembly Speaker László Kövér noted that Poland's and Hungary's pasts are rich in shared experiences. The head of the Hungarian parliament noted the strength of the thousand-year friendship linking Poland and Hungary. László Kövér further stressed that the memory of Romek Strzalkowski and Peter Mansfeld strengthens both nations to never give up the fight for freedom. As the head of the Hungarian parliament pointed out, it is important that the fame of our heroes be our strength for the future.
The ceremony to unveil a plaque commemorating the symbol of the first mass anti-communist speech in Poland - thirteen-year-old Romek Strzałkowski - was also attended by representatives of the Hungarian Polish community, members of the Hungarian-Polish Parliamentary Friendship Group, local authorities, the Polish Embassy in Budapest and the Hungarian Embassy in Warsaw, as well as students from the Ferenc Tsik Elementary School, of which Peter Mansfeld was a student.
Photo: Pawel Kula
Text: Chancellery of the Sejm
