On March 23, the countries' respective flags will line the bridge "in commemoration of the centuries-old friendship and alliance between Hungary and Poland" in accordance with a decision of President of the Republic Tamas Sulyok, the statement said.

Common respect for tradition in the Hungarian and Polish peoples, the desire for freedom and Christian values and intertwined history were at the heart of the two countries' friendship, it added.

In 2007, Hungary's and Poland's parliaments declared March 23 a holiday of friendly relations between the two peoples, and commemorations are held alternately in a city in each of the two countries every year.

This year, Sulyok will participate in the festive event of the Polish-Hungarian Friendship Day in Przemysl together with the Polish President Karol Nawrocki, the statement noted.

Sulyok: Polish-Hungarian friendship on firm footing


The friendship between Poland and Hungary is on firm footing and an integral part of the culture of both nations, President Tamas Sulyok said in Przemysl, in southern Poland, on Monday, at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, marking the day of Polish-Hungarian friendship.

Sulyok was greeted with military honours in Przemysl's flag-draped main square, where crowds chanted "Poles and Hungarians, two good friends" as he arrived for talks.

Sulyok said he agreed with Nawrocki that "the friendship between the two nations is an integral part of our culture; it is not vulnerable to politics but a deep-rooted historical phenomenon."

Hungary and Poland had been linked by Christian values since their foundation, he added.

Sulyok paid tribute to Hungarian soldiers who died in Przemysl during the first world war, calling the city a "symbolic" choice for the talks.

The leaders also touched on the upcoming 70th anniversary of Hungary's 1956 uprising, recalling how students marched under Polish flags to a statue of General Jozsef Bem, a Polish-Hungarian hero. Sulyok also hailed a Budapest school competition on joint history, attended by local students. "While young people care about our past, the future is secure," he said.

Sulyok underscored the vital role of twin-town ties, civil society links and academic-business partnerships, proposing that future presidential summits on the Day of Polish-Hungarian Friendship be paired with sister-city gatherings.

He acknowledged disagreements but stressed common ground, warning of economic risks from escalating Middle East tensions and the war in Ukraine.

Nawrocki said friendship must transcend short-term political swings. Both nations, he said, wanted to remain part of the European Union and cared about the state of the bloc. He said Poland could count on Hungary's support in its opposition to the Mercosur trade deal and the European Commission's "overbearing bureaucracy".

He said that as friends, the two countries had to accept that they did not always see eye to eye. He said Poles "love Hungarians" but "hate" Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he said was a "threat to Europe, NATO's eastern flank and the EU".

The annual Polish-Hungarian friendship celebrations date back to March 24, 2006, when the two countries' presidents at the time, Lech Kaczynski of Poland and Laszlo Solyom of Hungary, inaugurated a memorial in Győr.

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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