Democratic values and principles are universal; however, the method by which they are enforced is based on the sovereign decisions of the individual states, István Mikola said at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies held in San Salvador.

The 8th Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies was held between 22-24 July 2015 in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador and of the current Presidency of the Community. The event of the organisation celebrating the 15th anniversary of its establishment was attended on behalf of the founder member Hungary by István Mikola, State Secretary for Security Policy and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The ministerial conference created an opportunity for consultations with the constituent pillars of the Community of Democracies – civil society, the private sector, parliaments and the representatives of young generations. In the context of a sustainable development framework system after 2015, a declaration was conceived, laying down that democratic values and sustainable and fair social development are inseparable.

In his speech, State Secretary Mr Mikola highlighted that Hungary, which regained its freedom and independence a quarter of a century ago, is committed to protecting and further developing plural democracy. He stressed that the common shared democratic values and principles are universal, but the method by which they are enforced is based on the sovereign decision of each individual state.

The participating states seek to achieve the goals laid down in the core document of the Community of Democracies, the Warsaw Declaration with different institutional and legislative means and methods which are best suited to their specificities. Whilst respecting one another’s specificities, Hungary continues to remain ready to fully cooperate with the Member States of the Community of Democracies in the field of the promotion of democratic values.

A decision was adopted at the conference that the presidential duties of the Community of Democracies will be performed in the next two years by the United States of America.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)