Speech by Dr. Tamás Sulyok to the Hungarian community in Belgium

Your Excellency, Dear MEPs, Ladies and Gentlemen. Dear Fellow Citizens!

This is the second time that our country is holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Brussels has always been a busy and important place for us Hungarians, but with the Hungarian Presidency, the Belgian capital, this melting pot in the best sense of the word, will play an even greater role and deserve attention that is even more special. Therefore, the Hungarians living and working here, that is to say you, have an even more important role to play in the work that Hungary is now facing. 

I would like to thank Ambassador Kovács for organising this meeting today. At the same time, I would like to thank you for the conscientious, dedicated and exemplary work you are doing on behalf of your country here in Brussels - in the centre of Europe, if you like. 

We could be here for a long time, we would probably sleep here too, if I were to greet everyone personally. Nevertheless, allow me to welcome Hungary's new MEPs from here too, because they will represent Hungarian interests and values in Strasbourg and Brussels, and they will be the Hungarian voice of Europe in the European Parliament. They have a great and noble task ahead of them, and I would also like to thank the staff of the Permanent Representation for their dedicated work, thank them for what they have done so far, and wish them perseverance and strength for the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is now a historical fact that it is possible to live as a Hungarian outside Hungary, too. 

This statement also has a sad meaning, since sadly, there were numerous periods in Hungarian history when Hungarians were forced to leave their homeland. 
However, there is also a positive side to saying that we can live anywhere as Hungarians. That is, we can find our own everywhere, and we form a close bond and community with our compatriots. 

It is said that in Belgium, in Brussels, we can learn the art of compromise - although you certainly know that better than I do. Because just as Belgians do not understand each other in Belgium at all, or often barely so, well, we Europeans are the same way when it comes to understanding each other. Nevertheless, in the end, we must always seek a compromise. Without it, probably no people, no nation, can expect to remain relevant.

Of course, Hungarian virtue has always been a characteristic of our nation - today we might call it sovereignty - and this virtue has very often been of benefit to the Hungarian people, saving them from their misfortune. I have a favourite anecdote about this. 

During the Bach regime, a distinguished German asked Ferenc Deák: 
-    Do you think it is impossible for Hungary to become Germanized?
-    There is nothing impossible about it," said Deák.
-    So why don't you surrender?
-    Deák responded: Sir, if the doctor told you that you could live a little longer, but you could also die today, what would you do? 
-    Well, I would live as long as I can.
-    Well, we try to live as Hungarians as long as we can.

I said at the beginning that the Hungarian people are capable of forming a community with their compatriots anywhere in the world. But I have not yet mentioned the fact that Hungarians are everywhere in the world, and that there is perhaps no hidden corner of the globe where you cannot hear the Hungarian language spoken. Just as the diverse talents of the Hungarian people are renowned the world over. 

Recently, I had the honour of awarding two of our Nobel Prize winners, Katalin Karikó and Ferenc Krausz, with one of the highest Hungarian honours, the Hungarian Corvin Chain. They left Hungary for professional opportunities abroad. They have never forgotten their homeland; they have kept and cherished their Hungarian identity. They both achieved the highest pinnacle in their creative work, and when they succeeded, they found their way home. 

They are wonderful examples of how people can find their own path to personal success abroad without forgetting the path back home. Moreover, this may not necessarily mean just a physical return, but also a spiritual and mental return.

In addition, the Hungarian nation is well known for its wonderful-sounding and very difficult-to-learn language. Not many other languages can match ours in this respect. This spring I was in the Vatican, where I was received by the Holy Father in audience. He asked me if I knew what language was spoken in the afterlife. I asked back: Latin or Italian, perhaps? "No," the Pope replied with a smile, "Hungarian, because it takes an eternity to learn. 
Well, who can say that the Hungarians are not a special people!
To sum it up: wherever we go, we make our mark, we leave our footprint. It is hard to think of a greater glory for a nation.
For example, here in Brussels, a Hungarian chef, at the 1958 World Fair - or, to be more precise, on his way here, invented the name of the Hortobágy meat pancake as a simple marketing ploy. 
As is generally argued: A good wine needs a bush as well.

The Hungarian dessert named „Rákóczi cheesecake” also became internationally known and loved right here in Brussels, at the 1958 World Exhibition that lasted for 200 days. What can I say? We Hungarians are good at baking and cooking. If you like: we are always cooking up something. Even in Europe's kitchen in Brussels.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I sincerely wish you success. Remain united, thus strengthening your communities, because in doing so you will strengthen yourselves. As you have done so far, and as Márai said, "To be Hungarian is not a state of being; to be Hungarian is a way of conduct."
May God help you maintain your good habits!

Franz Liszt Institute, Brussels (1 July 2024)