“We must make sure all Hungarians are safe”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared on Friday in Budapest at a ceremony to present awards in recognition of people who in recent months have helped Hungarians in trouble to return home.

“Thirty-three members of staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade were presented with awards at the Ministry for the work they performed during the largest repatriation campaign in Hungary’s history”, the Minister highlighted. “In recent months, the Ministry has helped 11,073 Hungarians who were stranded abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic to return home”, he emphasised. “In the recent period, the Ministry has had to face extraordinary situations, and its staff have also had to show an extreme level of flexibility”, he stated. “Without them, we would not be able to state today that every Hungarian who was in trouble has been able to return home”, he added.

Mr. Szijjártó said that in his opinion the epidemic is far from over, and the Ministry will continue to be on the front line of battles against international challenges. “If the second, or who knows which wave also appears, our duty will continue to be clear: to make sure that all Hungarians are safe and are at home”, he stated.

(MTI/Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)