“The events of recent weeks and months clearly indicate that the European way of life requires protection”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a press conference in Dunakeszi, near Budapest, on Sunday.
“Unfortunately, that is now a thing of the past”, he said. Mr. Szijjártó stressed: “We must protect not only Europe and the people of Europe, but also the European way of life, and accordingly all European policies must focus on security”.
“We have reached a milestone with regard to the terrorist attacks committed in Europe, because the ‘vile attack in Munich on Friday’ was the first time that a Hungarian citizen was also among the victims”, he explained.
“On Saturday, Bavarian police confirmed in writing that a Hungarian citizen, a boy born in 2001, was also among the victims of the attack”, he pointed out, adding “The boy had been living in Munich for around ten years and went to school there”.
“Some of the boy’s family live in Hungary and they were already in the large German city on Saturday, and some of the family also took part in the identification of the body”, he told the press.
“According to the family’s wishes the boy will be buried in Hungary, and the staff of the Consulate General in Munich are assisting with the required administration and are in direct contact with the family”, he continued.
Mr. Szijjártó also mentioned that allegedly an internet post offering free meals provided the basis for the attack, and this is to some extent corroborated by the fact that the son of the head of the Consulate General also received a message of this nature.
“This message may clearly also have played a role in the fact that the majority of the victims were children and young people”, he added.
Speaking in the name of the Government, Mr. Szijjártó expressed his condolences to the Hungarian family involved and said “they must be given every possible assistance”.
In reply to a question, the Foreign Minister said: “The Ministry has two recommendations with regard to travelling to Turkey”.
“Firstly, a significant part of the country falls under a category with regard to which all those who travel there are warned to be particularly cautions, while on the other hand there are also various territories, primarily the areas bordering Syria, to which it is recommended that people do not travel at all”, Mr. Szijjártó said.
“We are asking everyone who travels abroad to register on the Consular Services website”, he added.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
