Inaugurating a new bridge between Hungary and Slovakia near Komárom, Prime Minister Orbán said that “building bridges is synonymous with building our future.” Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks and Poles must organize the Central European region, he said, adding that if we do not organize it ourselves, then foreigners will.
“Both countries are beautiful and both lie in an important location,” the PM continued, “If we don’t organize this region between Germany and Russia, then foreigners will.” He added that history has taught Hungarians that we can only be successful when we are united.
Speaking about Hungary’s plans for further development of its highway infrastructure, Prime Minister Orbán said that by 2025, nine Hungarian highways will extend to our borders. “Hungarians get excited by what’s ahead of us,” the prime minister said, adding that Hungary will also take part in a gigantic project, the construction of a motorway from Poland all the way to Greece, measuring more than 3,500 kilometers.
Turning back to the new bridge, Prime Minister Orbán said, “The bridge is jointly owned by Hungary and Slovakia, which would have been unimaginable in the past. From a Hungarian perspective, Hungarian-Slovak economic cooperation has never been this fruitful.”
In his remarks at the ceremony, Slovak PM Igor Matovič said that although it may seem strange to inaugurate a new bridge during international travel restrictions, this is “precisely the time when we can show to the world that it is indeed possible to inaugurate a bridge, even in these times.”
“We have lived together for hundreds of years, and I hope that we will continue to live side by side for many centuries to come – and I hope that we will get to build many more bridges like this one,” Matovič said in closing.