1 July 2014

Esteemed Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me begin by saying thank you. Thank you to the President of Serbia for being here and thank you to the Serbian authorities for working to enable us to be here today. Thank you to the Hungarians who were involved in the establishment of this Institute, and my wish is that the Director will run a successful Institute during the upcoming years. Opening a cultural institute in Belgrade seem so self-explanatory, as Belgrade is a city of culture. For countless centuries it has been a meeting place not only for rivers, but for peoples, religions and cultures, and as I learned in school – and I think this is still the case today – Belgrade is Europe’s gateway to the Balkans. And this is precisely why I believe that the European Union cannot go on for long without Belgrade and Serbia, because that would be as if it were placing the gate through which it wants to travel outside the fence. Just as the Danube creates a link between its water catchment areas, so should Europe collect and link the national cultures that make up Europe and shape them into a unified European tradition. The Basic Treaty that was formulated when the European Union was created regards this cultural diversity as a European value. What we would like is for every nation to be able to preserve its own identity within a unified European culture. The objective for us is the creation of a Europe in which every citizen and every nation feels at home. As a European nation and a participant in our common European culture, the Serbian people are calling for the country to join the European Union. The Hungarian Government supports Serbia in this endeavour. This is not a question of current politics but a question of principle and a moral responsibility based on the shared fate of the Central European peoples. We do not, of course, wish to pretend that it is not also in the interests of Hungary, because we Hungarians would feel particularly secure if all of our neighbours were members of the European Union. The European Union’s manifesto professes to facilitate dialogue between cultures. This is not a manifesto for us; this is everyday reality for the Serbs and Hungarians. And this is why I am especially glad that Hungarian culture will now finally have a home in a city that has linked the peoples of Hungary and Serbia for centuries. It is a surprising fact, and somewhat difficult to understand: why hasn’t such an institute existed until now?

Esteemed Mr. President,

I would like to say a few words about what we Hungarians expect from this Institute. Mr. President, we view this Hungarian Cultural Institute as having been created to establish a home for dialogue between Hungarian and Serbian culture. Links between the cultures of our two peoples were forged long ago within the fields of history, art, folklore and literature. Dialogue between the Hungarians and the Serbs has been going on for centuries. To us, it is totally natural that a Serbian author should write a novel about the tragic fate of a Hungarian aristocratic family, which a Hungarian author later includes in his own novel. To us, it is natural that a Hungarian girl from Vojvodina should begin a song – “Ederlezi”, by Goran Bregović – in Hungarian and then continue in Serbian.

Dear Mr. President,

To us, the Hungarians, this proves that the cultures of different nations can become familiar to one another, and what is even more important to the Hungarians, they can become well-liked by each another. They awaken in us curiosity towards peoples who differ from us. It was this openness and curiosity that led to the opening of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Belgrade today. Dear Director, the task of this Institute will be to collect and preserve the common cultural treasures of Serbia and Hungary, and to add to that treasure with new works. I wish you much success towards the fulfilment of your mission. Mr. President, thank you for your kind attention.

(Prime Minister’s Office)