Ladies and Gentlemen,
Now I should read out a long list of everyone I want to greet, because everyone who matters is here. But for now, please let me just say a special greeting to the President of the Republic of Serbia – my friend, Mr. Aleksandar Vučić – and a special greeting to the members of the Pásztor family. May God bless all the rest! Perhaps I should also say that this is a special moment, because the leader of the Serbian community living in Hungary is also here among us. Thank you very much for coming with us.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I like coming to you. I have a number of reasons for this: first of all, there is the bond of blood; secondly, you have always welcomed me with affection and kindness; and thirdly, something I especially enjoy every time is the fact that my experiences – which are personal – have proved to me that the Hungarian spoken here is the most literary in the entire Carpathian Basin. It is good to listen to you. But now I will be the one speaking.
Furthermore, I would like to tell you that there are things in life that do not end with death. It is not only that we believe in eternal life, but it is also that we – Serbs and Hungarians – can rightly believe that the work of István Pásztor is eternally valid. We have good reason to think so, because there are people whose lives and work span and connect historical eras – who do not merely live in history, but who also shape it. István Pásztor was such a person. István Pásztor connected the Serbs and the Hungarians, and united the people of Vojvodina/Vajdaság with the people of the motherland. Not through force, although he did not lack that either. Not with loud politics, although he could speak loudly. But he did so persistently, courageously, sometimes stubbornly: let’s say with the tenacity of the Great Plain, which we Hungarians – but I think, Dear Aleksandar, you Serbs, too – are well known for. This award is primarily about him. None of us have done as much for Serbian–Hungarian relations as he did. He showed us the way, he built a bridge between us, and he gave hope back to the Hungarian community in Vojvodina/Vajdaság. Let’s face it, without him we would not be standing here today. Without István Pásztor, the flock would have scattered. We thank him for keeping us together, for leaving us a legacy on which the Serbian–Hungarian alliance can stand firmly today. Glory to István Pásztor!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When we bade him farewell, we knew that the story would not end there. It would not end, because this story is like the flow of the Danube: once it is channelled into a good course, it will stay there. And that is what his life’s work is like. We thank Bálint Pásztor for preventing the disintegration of what his father built – we know well that heritage is both a burden and a responsibility. We wish him much strength, and perhaps on behalf of my friend President Vučić I can offer this shared advice, as a guide: only loyalty, only honour!
Dear Guests,
I am here to receive this award today, together with President Aleksandar Vučić. It is an honour for me. As you may have heard, we met for the first time in 2010. Here it is necessary to add that at the time we were both in opposition. Everyone can draw the appropriate conclusions from this. While we are here together I will note in parentheses – and one day historians will write this – that when we were still in opposition, but feeling that we would be able to form a national government in Budapest, back then, even in opposition, I took preparatory steps in three relations. I went to China, I went to the Russian president, and I met with the Serbs. That was because I felt that this was the future that we would have to work on.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When we first met, still in opposition, neither of us could have known that one day we would be standing here celebrating shared work that sets an example for Europe and the Balkan region alike. At no time in our history have Serbs and Hungarians been on such good terms, in such a good relationship, as we are today. Today this is a fact that no one can dispute. Much work is involved in this, and I thank everyone who participated in this work for their efforts. Our cooperation is strong and our economic relations are exemplary. Today our two peoples do not live side by side, but with each other. As you, the Serbs, say: “Skim si, takav si.” Hungarian is an overly complicated, literary language, so the way we express this is by saying that we tell a bird by its feathers, and a man by his friends.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
None of this would be possible without President Vučić. Your president is a leader who is rare in European political life, but of whom more are needed: he recognises, decides and implements. This is what leadership is, this is what a leader is. The rest is just empty talk. The peace, stability and economic future of the Balkans will be secure only if there is – and remains – a relationship of trust and strategic partnership between Serbia and Hungary. Thank you, Dear Aleksandar, for being someone we can always count on, thank you for our alliance, and thank you for our friendship.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What in everyday life is friendship and what between our peoples is good relations, is, in international politics, called an alliance. In short, this means that you know that you can count on the other: if you have a problem, you can turn to them; if life presents them with challenges, you help them without asking. We are living in such times. The significance of our cooperation, Dear people of Subotica/Szabadka, goes beyond the relationship between our two peoples, and is intended to stabilise the entire Balkan world, the entire region. The Hungarian and Serbian peoples are among the oldest, most ancient peoples in the region, and the population and economic strength of these two peoples make us key players. Let us not be modest: without Serbian–Hungarian cooperation, there is no stability in the entire Balkan region. Of course we say this with due humility, but we must always be aware of the significance of our cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the world today we are experiencing changes that enhance the value of Serbian–Hungarian relations. The old world in which we have so far lived is crumbling before our eyes. It has been a long time since there was any question that the Asian powers – more specifically China – were becoming stronger. This is a fact, this change is a fact that everyone can see, and that requires no separate explanation. But in addition to the rise of Asia, we see that just in recent days the western half of Europe has been losing its remaining influence. The Americans and the Russians are negotiating the future, while the Brusselites are waiting in the hallway, peeping through the keyhole.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
While everyone is already negotiating peace, Europe is still drawing up war plans. Who wants to play cards with someone who doesn’t have good cards in his hand, and who also wants to rewrite the rules of the game? That would not work in a village pub, Ladies and Gentlemen, let alone in international diplomacy! We could laugh at this, yet the matter is not only worrying, but also dangerous. Because the leaders of Brussels have fallen under the influence of their own war propaganda so much that it is already putting at risk the security of the entire continent. This is why alliances such as the one that unites Hungarians and Serbs are gaining in value. Let us say with due modesty, but boldly, that we have within us a life force: we do not want to surrender our identity, we do not want to disappear from the map, we do not want to become insignificant. But individually we are not strong enough: separately we are just trees, but together we are a forest. And the forest can withstand the storm. This is the philosophy of Central European cooperation. If we cooperate, unite, help each other and stand by each other against attempts at political destabilisation organised from abroad, then we will find ourselves in a better world. History, dear people of Subotica/Szabadka, dear Pásztor family, rarely offers two peoples such a good chance. We have just received one. If we do things right, our descendants will still be presenting the István Pásztor Award a hundred years from now. May it be so! I can also announce that the Hungarian government will double its support for the István Pásztor Foundation.
God bless Serbia! God bless Hungary!
More news
