Visit of the Presidents of the Republic in Sopron!

The Heads of State were welcomed by Mayor Dr. Ciprián Farkas at the Main Square. The programme continued at the Town Hall, where the two Heads of State, after a private meeting and plenary discussion, held a press conference on the outcome of the meeting.

The relationship between Germany and Hungary is of the utmost importance from both an alliance and strategic point of view, said the Hungarian Head of State in Sopron, after a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Town Hall on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic. Tamás Sulyok added that despite differences of opinion between the two governments on certain issues, "we, as heads of state, have the opportunity to bridge them". "I am confident that through a mutually respectful approach and frank dialogue (...) we can not only preserve our relations but also strengthen them," he said, adding that the anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic is a good opportunity to do so.

The President of the Republic said that the Pan-European Picnic was a seminal event in European history, "in fact the Trojan Horse of German reunification".

He expressed his gratitude and thanks to the organisers and participants of the picnic. He said that, because of their example, cooperation between the two countries should focus primarily on the forward-looking elements that bind us together, whether on the basis of values or interests. Tamás Sulyok stressed that he and Frank-Walter Steinmeier agreed that the two countries see each other as important political and economic partners and are allies on most European issues. Our common goal is to maintain friendly relations and strengthen good relations, he said.

He pointed out that German companies have become the most active group of investors in Hungary, with German companies operating here constantly expanding their activities. In the fields of education, research and innovation, the inter-institutional confederation between the two countries is outstanding, and in strengthening relations, they see both German citizens living in Hungary and Hungarians living in Germany as important links.

He added that Budapest has the only German-language university, outside the German-speaking area, and that once the undergraduate programme at Andrássy University is launched, it will be possible to study in German in Hungary from nursery school to doctoral level, a unique experience in Europe.

Tamás Sulyok also stressed that for us Hungarians, our national identity, our culture, our traditions, our language and our sovereignty are important and fundamental issues. Hungarians believe in a European alliance of independent nation states, he said, adding that different opinions on Europe do not divide us, but always unite us.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, like Tamás Sulyok, expressed his pleasure to commemorate the anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic in Sopron. The Pan-European Picnic was not only the road to German unity, but also the end of Europe's division, as the event, which brought 600 GDR citizens to Austria, made a major contribution to a Europe without borders, he said. He stressed that Sopron represented the friendship between the two peoples in a special way. Sopron is a symbol of European solidarity, freedom and unity.

The German head of state stressed that Hungary has a great responsibility as President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, especially with regard to the war between Russia and Ukraine. He added that he would like the anniversary of the picnic to strengthen our common European values. He expressed his conviction that the two countries need each other and the European Union. He also said that in the current geopolitical challenges, it is important to preserve the EU's unity and capacity to act. Hungary has a great responsibility and role to play in strengthening the unity of the EU, because unity is the key to Europe's strength, he added.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that in order to strengthen bilateral relations, he and Tamás Sulyok would continue their discussions in October in Krakow and invited the Hungarian President to Berlin.

During the afternoon, the two heads of state took part in the last thematic day of the summer academy organised by the Hungarian-German Youth Association and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The winners of the essay competition were also welcomed.

Tamás Sulyok: we remember an important piece of the Hungarian-German common past

On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic and the border crossing, a commemoration ceremony was held on Monday afternoon at the Pan-European Picnic Memorial Park in Sopronpuszta. The event was addressed by Dr. Tamás Sulyok, President of the Republic of Hungary and Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Hungarian Head of State stressed that on 19 August we will remember an important piece of European history, including the common Hungarian-German past.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr. Ciprián Farkas welcomed the participants. The Mayor of Sopron stressed that thirty-five years ago, a prisoner nation gave freedom to another prisoner nation, contributing to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Europe, which was the end of Sopron's decades of isolation and its troubled fate. It was a momentous event that did not take on meaning as time passed, but whose fateful impact was felt there and then. Many of our citizens were active organisers and actors in the events of world historical significance that unfolded here. For us, Hungarians and Germans, today is a common European holiday. It is a great honour for our city to host the 2019 meeting of Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and now also the meeting of the Hungarian and German heads of state," stressed Dr. Ciprián Farkas.

Tamás Sulyok: we are commemorating an important piece of the Hungarian-German common past

In his speech, the Hungarian Head of State stressed that we salute all those who were victims of the Iron Curtain and the separation, and we are proud of those who have broken through the barrier that stood between us. The President added: "Since then, by breaking down the wall between us, Germany and Hungary have forged an ever closer economic and political bond, and we are close allies and worthy partners.

I hope that we can continue to commit ourselves to each other in the coming decades in a spirit of mutual understanding and respect, just as Hungarians and Germans did in the historic summer of 1989.

- he stressed. Tamás Sulyok pointed out: we Europeans are not the same, we never have been, but there is no doubt that we belong together, and there is no alternative. He added that this is what brave and free European citizens, Hungarians, Germans, Austrians and others, stood up for at the Pan-European Picnic, we did not want to see dividing lines between us.

History has proved over the centuries that the only way to achieve universal peace is to deepen the friendship of peoples, to break down the barbed wire and psychological barriers erected by political practices," the appeal said. Tamás Sulyok stressed that he wants all of us throughout Europe to stick to the spirit of the Pan-European Picnic and not to allow the reintroduction of physical or psychological barbed wire.

The President of the Republic recalled that 35 years ago, Hungarians once again took part in shaping the destiny of Europe. "With the voice of freedom, we once again spoke into history, we paved the way to Europe, to the place where we have belonged for a thousand years". After that, everything accelerated, the Head of State recalled, adding that we had shaken off decades of communist oppression, we could once again become an independent, sovereign part of the continent, and Germany could unite.

The role of Hungarians in this process is undeniable, and we are proud of it, he pointed out, adding that it took the courageous stand of Hungarians to finally set the events of history on the right track, to change the fate of people and families, to bring peoples closer together, and to bring nations back to their natural unity.

Tamás Sulyok drew attention to the connection between European unity and national sovereignty, stressing that 35 years after the Pan-European Picnic and 20 years after Hungary's accession to the European Union, it is still important to pay attention to these aspects. The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is an event that Hungary and all Hungarians can look back on with pride and satisfaction, and the

Frank-Walter Steinmeier: Without Hungary's love of freedom and passion for Europe, German unity would have been unthinkable

Speaking at an event to mark the 35th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the events of 1989 in Sopron and Debrecen had become a catalyst for further events, "a picnic organised on a summer's day had become the largest refugee wave in the German Democratic Republic (GDR)", and the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall had finally fallen.

German unity took its first important step in Hungary, the President said.

The Hungarians' desire for freedom and democracy has galvanised the whole continent, making the country a driving force for reform and a pioneer of change," he said. He added that Hungary had opened a window into which the whole world could look, and that Germany would never forget this and would be forever grateful to the Hungarians.

Without the invincible desire for freedom, the love of freedom and the passion for Europe of the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, including Hungary, German unity would have been unthinkable, the German head of state said, adding that the Hungarians' passion for Europe is still felt today and is needed. Hungary has been a member of the European Union since 2004, when 83 percent of the people voted in favour of joining, and now, 20 years later, almost the same number of Hungarians say they feel like citizens of the Union, the head of state pointed out.

He said he was convinced that Hungarians and Germans need each other and the Union, which they have built together and want to continue to build together as partners and friends, "in the spirit of Sopron, courageously, in the spirit of solidarity, freedom and unity", because "these values unite us Europeans".

At the ceremony, Dr. László Magas, President of the Pan-European Picnic Foundation, stressed that 1989 was the year of miracles - in our country and throughout Europe, the communist world order was already on the verge of collapse. The desire for freedom and opposition to the regime was also evident in our city, so the organisers of the picnic decided to organise a picnic on 19 August, the day before the founding of the state. The Berlin Wall came down three months later, but the Pan-European Picnic was the first brick to be hammered out.

The commemoration was attended by Attila Barcza, Member of Parliament, István Simon and Szabolcs Csiszár, deputy mayors, as well as local councillors, heads of institutions and officials.

At the event, Dr. Tamás Sulyok, President of the Republic, and Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, laid wreaths at the memorial headstone in the memorial park.