National Day Message by H. E. Mrs. Tekla Harangozó, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to the Republic of Bulgaria

October 23 - Memorial Day of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Struggle for Freedom

65 years ago, the Hungarian people rose to fight for their freedom in order to free themselves from the oppression that the Soviet empire wanted to impose on them. During the October events of 1956, which culminated on October 23 in Budapest and across the country, the brave rose up in defense of their beliefs in order to provide their loved ones with a better future in their country, but unfortunately they paid for that with their life. We keep their memory alive.

The events of 1956 are known to the Bulgarians as well. The poet Yordan Ruskov lost seven years of his freedom for his poem "A Call for Freedom", which supported the revolted Hungarians:

... People, get up! Way of faith and sun

shine before Bulgarians, Poles, Czechs and Romanians.

The world follows our struggle, the world is a friend.

In the end, the world did not turn out to be a friend and the revolution was suppressed, but the thirst for freedom remained. And as Ruskov sang in his poem, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Poles, Czechs, and Romanians finally freed themselves from the Iron Curtain at the same time after the regime change in 1989/90.

And here we are, now, in 2021, choosing ourselves the organizations, part of which we want to be and the countries with which we want to maintain closer ties. We are free in our choices and we realize that it is not always easy to live in freedom.

But there are simple choices, always supported by a sound history: such is the balanced friendly Bulgarian-Hungarian relationship, which for five years now, thanks to the decision of the parliaments of the two countries, has its own holiday - the Day of Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship celebrated this year on October 19. Such is our affiliation with the Visegrad Group, whose presiding country this year is Hungary under the motto: Recharge Europe. The cooperation linking the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia has been supporting the social, cultural and economic activities of the four countries for 30 years. And recharging refers to the need for recovery after the pandemic period.

Unfortunately, the pandemic again did not allow us to meet this year, but I believe that next year this will be possible and we will be able to get together and celebrate again the excellent Bulgarian-Hungarian relations. Until then, allow me to greet the friends of Hungary in Bulgaria and around the world, as well as the Hungarian citizens living in Bulgaria!

The photo was provided by the Hungarian Embassy in the Republic of Bulgaria. On it: H. E. Mrs. Tekla Harangozó, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hungary to the Republic of Bulgaria