Speaking at a commemoration held on Saturday, 27 August to mark the 490th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács at the National Memorial Place of Mohács, Minister of Defence István Simicskó stated that “today we must guarantee the Hungarian people’s future and security against the new forms of emerging threats.

In his speech, the minister of defence referred to the challenges posed by mass migration and terrorism, stating that “we must do our best to protect the borders of our country and the security of the people of Hungary”.

“Europe and Hungary need strong faith and strong states”, he emphasized, adding that John Hunyadi – who defeated the army of the Ottoman Empire at Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade)  – admonished, in his last will, his sons – including Matthias Hunyadi, who was later crowned King of Hungary – to be always guided by piety and patriotism.

“We can justly but firmly counter the threats only by building our lives on faith”, the politician said.

While talking about the European series of events that led to the disaster at Mohács in 1526, István Simicskó concluded that the tragedy of the Kingdom of Hungary was caused by the internal political and religious conflicts in Europe and by the internal division of the Hungarian state that was “going through a weak period”.

The minister said that the then leaders of Europe did not realize the power of the Ottoman Empire during its golden age under sultan Suleiman I and the threats arising from it. He added that before the Battle of Mohács, Hungary, a country deeply rooted in Christianity, had been successfully resisting the then strongest state in the world for 150 years.

Mr. Simicskó pointed out that in order to survive, we must fill our individual, family and national armory, both in the spiritual and the military senses of the word. To achieve this, we can gain strength from remembering difficult periods, keeping in mind that “we have survived, and we would like to live and thrive”, the minister noted.

(Ministry of Defence)