| |
 | Speeches | | |
The President of the Republic at the dinner hosted by the President of the Republic of Hungary, Ferenc Mádl, in honour of the President of the Republic and Mrs Ingrid Rüütel on 11 September 2002 in Budapest11.09.2002
Honourable President of the Republic of Hungary Ferenc Mádl,
Honourable Mrs Dalma Mádl,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Permit me to thank the Republic of Hungary for the invitation. On behalf of myself, my wife and members of our delegation I would like to thank you, Mr President and Mrs Dalma Mádl, for the cordial and warm reception.
Today is the 11th of September. Exactly one year ago the world was shocked by terrorist attacks against the United States of America. We became aware of unnoticed dangers threatening all nations. We understood how vulnerable and fragile are human society and life of each individual. But we also came to an unprecedented concord that it is the right and duty of free nations to join for combating terrorism in the name of free development, democracy and prosperity.
There are many similar features in the history of Estonia and Hungary but our present doings and future goals coincide as well. We are united by the aspirations of our countries. We are on our way to the European Union and this will open up new potentials, broaden our prospects and build up our partnership still more. That's our common way. Hungary already is a member of the North Atlantic Alliance and Estonia too is on its way to NATO. This year, we hope to be strengthened in our aspirations. We have been spurred on by Hungary's support to the Estonian orientation towards NATO. The Estonian state and people appreciate it very highly. Permit me, on this occasion, to express our sincere gratitude for this support to you, Mr President, and in your person to the whole people of Hungary. Estonia is willing to make our contribution to safeguarding the security of our countries, the stability and wellbeing in the whole of Europe. The self-evident need to strengthen the transatlantic relationship takes the consistent care of us all.
Honourable President Mádl,
I believe you to agree with me that economic ties and business contacts are of paramount importance to the promotion of relations between countries and to strengthening economy. The European Union will offer us totally new opportunities to further economic and trade partnership. So, let's see to it together that its infrastructure and legal framework served properly our shared interests. Against this background, it was my particular pleasure to welcome an Estonian-Hungarian economic forum in Budapest today. I am sure that new ideas and fruitful contacts will be born by each of such exchanges of opinions.
Mr President,
It was a great honour to the people of Estonia that you, in the capacity of the President of Hungary, paid your first state visit to Estonia. The Estonians and the Magyars being kindred peoples our relations always have been good.
The Estonian and Hungarian scientists have long-time fruitful scientific contacts in the field of Finno-Ugrian studies. The tradition of Finno-Ugrian world congresses initiated by Academicians Paul Ariste, Gyula Ortutay and Kustaa Vilkuna, having become a significant stimulus to the development of national sciences of all the Finno-Ugrian peoples has been kept up since 1960. In the last congress in our university city of Tartu, in the year 2000, also a great many Hungarian scientists took part. The International Finno-Ugrian Committee, to which also my wife belongs, is uniting scientists of different Finno-Ugrian peoples. Fruitful co-operation and exchange of scientists between the Estonian and Hungarian linguists, ethnologists and researches of folk music are carried out in the time between the congresses as well.
The Finno-Ugrian peoples are living scattered across several countries and, unfortunately, languages of several peoples are either endangered or becoming extinct. It's a regrettable fact that, on the global scale, some smaller peoples, their languages and cultures vanish each year. Thus, something unique to all of us is fading away - one more irreplaceable piece of human knowledge and with this of our world-view. So, let's try together to preserve and to pass on the cultural heritage of the Finno-Ugrian peoples.
We are very glad that a Hungarian Cultural Institute is operating in Estonia. But Hungary, in turn, belongs to these few countries where we have opened an Estonian Institute presenting our country and people, language and culture. The activities of these establishments in presenting and propagating our cultural traditions have been remarkable. It was just this Hungarian Cultural Institute that, to mark St István's Day, staged an excellent concert in the garden of the Foreign Art Museum at Kadriorg, from where the beautiful sounds of Hungarian music carried also to the Presidential Palace. It was really heart-warming.
It was another fine coincidence that, just a couple of months before well-known writer Gabor Görgey became Hungary's Minister of Culture, in the Theatrum of Tallinn one of his plays was successfully produced, on which occasion the author himself found time to visit Estonia. The historical fact that in days of old at least one town in Estonia - namely Valga - has got its town bylaws from a king of Hungarian origin, Istvan Batory, is worth mentioning alike.
Mr President,
I am glad indeed that my visit will take me to the historic town and stronghold of Eger. Right after the events of the year 1956 in Hungary, the book "The Stars of Eger" by Géza Gárdonyi was published in Estonia. And although we are taken by the action of the novel to the 16th century, patriotism, human dignity and desire for freedom are remaining values also in the 21st century. I am sure that this work has rendered support also to our dreams and endeavours and, therefore, I am in no doubt that Imre Csanadi, a great poet of present-day Hungary, has written his deep-felt poem "The Estonians" also having taken the stars of Eger to his heart.
Mr President,
A boat trip on Danube - a great European river, the native river of the Hungarians - has always been and certainly is also today a dream of many Estonians. We were really anxious following the news about the August-floods in Hungary and elsewhere in Central Europe. In his mind and heart, every Estonian friend of Hungary was with you. We were glad to learn now that, despite the severity of the flooding, people are recovering from the damages although nothing can compensate for the loss of one's home and life-work. However, I am absolutely sure that the recent flooding will not curb Estonian's interest in Hungary as a tourist destination. Your beautiful nature is a feast for the eyes and delight for the mind. We cannot assert ourselves against the force of nature, but we should exert ourselves together to prevent the increasingly intensive industry and growing consumption from damaging our environment. Sustainable development and nature conservation ought to be important keywords in the European Union as well. And all nations of the world must make their contributions - both the big and the small.
Dear Friends,
Our future depends on our children. It is vital that the young learned to appreciate our folk culture and understood the value of their mother tongue. The Hungarian Week carried out in Estonian schools last spring was a great success. In this connection, I would like to thank the Hungarians living in Estonia and the Hungarian Estophiles who, within the scope of this event, taught Hungarian, showed handicrafts, performed folk dances, and offered delicious national food.
We are with my wife especially keen to visit Kesckemét, the native city of Zoltán Kodály - great figure in the Hungarian culture. The Estonian children have thanks to Professor Heino Kaljuste learned music according to Kodály's methods. For we have subscribed to the principle of Kodaly: hand-in-hand with music, we also are teaching values common to all humanity. What could be more important today?
Education is one of our priorities. The University of Tartu and the University of Budapest are exchanging students and lecturers. For years, the Summer University of Debrecen was to Estonian students the only chance to travel abroad. The Pedagogical Institute of Szombathely, as for publishing translated Estonian literature, has become a leading establishment in Hungary. To me, as to a resident of Tartu in my heart, it is most important that Veszprém and Tartu, being twinned, were continuously interested in all-round co-operation in the field of education, science and culture.
Mr President,
We are bound together by an invisible bond of kindred peoples' contacts that is stronger than a bystander ever could suspect. This bond helps us to move forward to a better future without forgetting our roots.
Mr President, Mrs Mádl, Dear friends,
I wish success to the President of Hungary!
May the Estonian-Hungarian friendship strengthen!
Let's raise the glasses to the prosperity of Hungary and its people!
|
| |
|
vpk.ee
