“The Government is providing three hundred million forints in funding to the member organisations of the Charity Council, to enable them to continue their activities on the border, beyond the border and in transit zones”, Minister of State for Churches, Minorities and Civil Affairs and Chairman of the Council Miklós Soltész told reporters.

Mr. Soltész announced that Catholic charity organisation Caritas Hungarica, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, Hungarian Reformed Church Aid, Hungarian Interchurch Aid, the Hungarian Red Cross and Hungarian Baptist Aid will each be receiving 50 million forints towards purchasing equipment that assists their activities including tents, medicine, medical equipment and food, and on integration programmes.

The Minister of State highlighted the fact that “Hungary will continue to resist the mandatory resettlement quota and insists on the fact that every country should be able to decide on its future for itself, but will continue to provide assistance to those in need and in transit”. “In addition, Hungary regards it as important that Middle Eastern Christians are helped in their homelands”, he added.

Mr. Soltész thanked the aid organisations for their work in recent years and for the fact that their activities in neighbouring countries has increased appreciation for Hungary in view of the fact that they have often assumed some of the responsibilities of local authorities and charities.

Vice-President of the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta Lajos Győri-Dani told reporters that close cooperation between aid organisations is extremely important during the course of work performed along the border and in transit zones, adding that aid is primarily provided to families, children and the sick, in addition to which they organise programmes for children in the camps and do their best to reassure people who have been waiting there for some time that “they have not been abandoned”.

Mr. Győri-Dani also said that the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta is also operating in Syria, in addition to which it is also in involved in training people from Maltese Charity Services operating in Romania and Slovenia.

The Vice-President also mentioned that the charity organisation is also present in Lebanon and Jordan, while in Syria they are currently in the process of organising a treatment programme for the sick in collaboration with a local religious order.

(Ministry of Human Capacities/MTI)