A thousand years of friendship - Speech by Dr. Tamás Sulyok on the Day of Hungarian-Polish Friendship
Your Excellency, President Duda,
Madam First Lady,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Pope John Paul II, on his first trip to Hungary, spoke of us Hungarians and Poles as follows: 'Poles and Hungarians are cousins, and this truth, this almost family relationship, has been proven many times at different moments in history.'
Polish-Hungarian friendship is so deeply rooted in the lives of our two peoples that when one of the most important figures of the 20th century, the pride of our region, the Vicar of Christ on Earth, came to visit us, he could not fail to speak of the deep bond between us.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
We Hungarians are a people in the middle of Europe without relatives. We come from the East, but we found a home, a spiritual as well as physical home, in the West. Our language is unfamiliar to others, and bears no resemblance to any other.
Only those can understand it who have received it as their mother tongue, or who are capable enough to master it.
This lack of kinship has at times proven to be a curse, and at other times a blessing. Through it, we learned that we can rely only on ourselves, that we must not wait for others. In this way, we came to realize that our national existence and culture matter only to us—that our values are dear only to us, and we cannot expect others to preserve, protect, or enrich them on our behalf.
And yet, even though orphanhood makes you tough, it also tries you. This is when we think of the Poles. The fact that our lack of kinship has never meant real loneliness is mostly thanks to the Poles. They filled and still fill the void we have always felt around us. They mean to us that we are not alone, that we can still count on someone, that we do not have to guard freedom all by ourselves, because in the Poles we have found a worthy and loyal partner.
Although we never walked the same path, we made progress in similar ways. Sometimes we fought the Turks and the Mongolians together, sometimes we were pushed from the East and the West at the same time, sometimes we sacrificed our lives for the freedom of the other, sometimes we remained a support for the other even when we were drifting in the opposite direction. We did not let go of each other in times of need, and it seemed as if we had each other’s back much better then. Persevering as best we could, bravely, as brothers and sisters should.
We often looked at each other as if we were looking at ourselves. We marvelled at each other's perseverance and love of freedom, faith and fortitude. We have all defended Europe with our blood and enriched it with our unique cultural values. Perhaps no one knows better than we do what it means to sacrifice for faith, values, country and Europe. A nation of new beginnings, a people of freedom, a bastion of Christianity, fervent in faith and valiant in battle - these are things that can be said of both peoples.
Besides a shared fate, national pride, and fighting spirit, the secret of our friendship may also lie in the lives of our common saints, who have brought us together in heart and soul through their ardent prayers.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Nothing can cast a shadow over the thousand years of friendship between the two peoples, nothing can tear it apart, and nothing can break it. For it exists not only between country and country, nation and nation, but is transmitted from community to community, from person to person.
Can Poland forget that its patrons are Hungarian princesses? Can Hungary forget that its greatest war leader was a Polish freedom fighter? Can we forget that we bled in each other's struggles for freedom? Can we forget the Polish Legion of 1848 or the Hungarian volunteers of the Polish freedom fights? Can we forget the friendship of Henryk Sławik and József Antal Sr., saving the lives of thousands? Can we forget their standing up for each other in 1956? I believe never. We Hungarians certainly will not.
For us, Hungarian-Polish friendship is not a myth, but a lived reality, it does not apply to individual episodes in history, but permeates our lives, and it is not only valid when there is an interest we both share, but it is a constant and present fact. It is not subject to current cooperation or non-cooperation in our public lives. It is deeper than that. That is why it cannot be destroyed by political intrigue or enemy-making.
Through his personal example and work, President Duda has brought about a blossoming period of Hungarian-Polish relations, which have further strengthened the already close relationship. Thank you, Mr. President, for joining us once again, it is a pleasure to celebrate together the unparalleled friendship between our peoples.
Mr. President,
Madam First Lady,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I can assure you that Hungarians look upon the Poles as true friends. On this solemn occasion, I also pledge my faith in this.
God bless Poland! God bless Hungary! May God keep our friendship!
(Kaposvár, 21 March 2025)