Hungary is ready to build a new Central Europe together with its neighbours, including Romania, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated on Saturday evening at a gala held in the event hall of the Temesvár Regional Chamber of Commerce on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the start of the Temesvár (Timisoara) revolution.

The Prime Minister said the goal is for Central Europe to become one of the world’s most successful and most competitive regions where cities are connected together by motorways and express railway lines, where everyone has jobs, to where workers return, and where there is no trouble finding jobs for workers coming from Western Europe.

Hungary wants to be among those European countries where it is best to live and to create, wants to produce goods with the latest technologies, wants to live in the best and cleanest natural environment, and wants to remain one of the world’s safest countries, Mr Orbán listed, adding that all this we can achieve more easily together with the neighbouring states than on our own.

He said he believes there is a great chance for Romanians and Hungarians to have shared goals in the future.

Regarding the events in Temesvár 30 years ago, Mr Orbán said the citizens of Temesvár and Romania sent the message to the world that Central Europeans – if needs be at the cost of their lives – will take their freedom back. In 1989 we learnt that it is even possible for Romanians and Hungarians to combine forces for freedom, he added, highlighting that in 1956 after the Polish and Hungarians in Romania, Romanians stood up for the Hungarian revolution in the largest numbers.

The Prime Minister also said for 40 years world politics believed that communism could be tamed and even improved; however, the inhabitants of Temesvár showed that communism could not be improved even with compromises.

The peoples of Central Europe always knew, he continued, that freedom would never be gifted to them by the great powers. “Had we waited for the West, we would still be living under the occupation of Soviet troops, we would still be members of the Warsaw Pact, and our future would still be decided at communist party congresses. But we wanted a free life, […] and our heroes even gave their blood for it,” he said.

Praising László Tőkés, Mr Orbán said “We are also here today to pay tribute to Bishop László Tőkés” and “because we believe that we owe ourselves the honour of stating and appreciating the truth. And above all, we owe this to actors such as László Tőkés”.

If a young Reformed Church pastor hadn’t plucked up the courage to turn against those in power, we should have waited for a long-long time for the spark that blew the entire system to pieces.

“Glory to László Tőkés,” the Prime Minister said in conclusion.

The Temesvár gala evening was one of the prime events of the memorial week organised by the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania to mark the 30th anniversary of the start of the revolution in Romania.

Thirty years ago, in December 1989, local residents in Temesvár tried to prevent the eviction of Reformed Church pastor László Tőkés by forming a human chain. The human chain turned into a demonstration, and members of the military shot into the crowd. Demonstrations spread throughout Romania, and growing into a revolution they swept away the rule of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)