President János Áder said Hungarians believe Europe’s best tradition is that every country can contribute its past experiences and future goals to shaping the continent’s future while recognizing European values.
During a reception held for the diplomatic corps at Budapest's Palace of Arts, the president said 1990 marked the end of an era in which Hungarians were not citizens but subjects of the occupying forces and they were obliged to express love for their oppressors.
President Áder said that since then, Hungary has come a long way in the past thirty years, having joined NATO and the European Union. Hungary has been dutifully fulfilling its tasks in NATO ever since, with “our soldiers participating in creating and maintaining peace all over the world."
The president also said that with Hungary’s EU accession, “Europe has become richer with a passionate nation that stands up for its interests but is open to all constructive solutions.”