The recipients of the Order of St. Stephen of Hungary have once again made the Hungarian name beautiful
Honourable Recipients!
Ladies and gentlemen!
I warmly and respectfully welcome you all to the celebration of the founding of the Hungarian state, the presentation of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary at Sándor Palace.
At the end of his earthly life, after four decades of ruling the country, King Stephen raised the Holy Crown toward the starry sky and entrusted our homeland to the protection of St. Mary. In a single gesture, he expressed his life's work of serving the people and the country with his entire life. In a single act, he summed up his hope that his creation would endure.
Today, nearly a thousand years later, when we say that our homeland still exists and that millions speak Hungarian in the land surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, we think with respect of our heroes and great men to whom we owe all this.
To those who, throughout Hungary's more than thousand-year history, have repeatedly brought honour to the Hungarian name, who have shown us a way out of difficulties, who have given and continue to give strength, dignity and hope to our people. Those who held up a true mirror to the Hungarian people, because they showed us that we Hungarians are capable of creating something exceptionally beautiful and world-renowned.
When, in our moments of celebration, even more light is directed at our exemplary compatriots, we can all experience the unity of our nation. This reality is an indispensable resource for our existence.
Because István Széchenyi's fiery energy, Ferenc Deák's wise thoughts of peacemaking, and János Arany's verses that live within us belong to all of us. Just as the wonderful successes of our athletes and the world-famous inventions of our inventors are the joy and pride of all Hungarians, so too are the fantastic space missions of today's honourees deservedly surrounded by the admiration of millions of Hungarians. It is a great treasure that, as we celebrate the feast day of our state founder, we can also experience the often difficult to see but solid and uplifting unity of the Hungarian people.
Ladies and gentlemen!
Every year, we award the Order of St. Stephen of Hungary as Hungary's highest honour. This year, we would like to express our gratitude to two outstanding figures in Hungarian space exploration, whose achievements have not only earned them a place in the history of space research and the history of science, but also in the hearts of the Hungarian people.
Honourable Recipients!
On behalf of the nation, I would like to thank you for putting our country on the map of space exploration through your mission. With your help, our scientists can be at the forefront of scientific development, shaping the innovations of the future.
Knowledge centres and countries have joined forces to advance the destiny of humanity. Universities, scientists, research institutes, NASA and countless space experts from around the world are working together towards common goals. Thanks to you, Hungarians are also part of this great endeavour.
Their efforts not only reveal the secrets of space, but also directly help humanity in the fields of medicine, cell biology, physics, meteorology, disaster prevention and satellite-based navigation.
The horizons they have conquered are almost incomprehensible to the average person. Their experiments have been conducted at the very limits of human knowledge.
Both came from Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, and both conducted scientific experiments as astronauts on space stations beyond the ozone layer.
They overcame conditions that would be unimaginable in an earthly environment. They raced across the sky at rocket speed, lived and worked in a state of weightlessness, while orbiting the Earth several times. They gave their all in terms of preparedness, courage and professionalism.
Dear Mr. Bertalan Farkas,
You are the first Hungarian astronaut and the seventh person on Earth to have travelled into space.
Your expedition 45 years ago not only served as a basis for later space flights, for example with the dissemination of the Pille radiation dosimeter, but also laid the foundations for Hungarian space travel.
You gained experience that you were able to share not only within your field, but also by providing specific advice to the next Hungarian astronaut to follow in your footsteps.
Dear Mr. Tibor Kapu,
Like your fellow astronaut, you receive our congratulations on the occasion of your three- week space mission. Through your tireless work and experiments, you have created lasting value and greatly enriched both the Hungarian and the international scientific community. We salute your achievement!
I can confirm what you surely already know, that not only did you look down on the Carpathian Basin and Lake Balaton, but we too followed closely where you were. We are fortunate that technology has made it possible for us to occasionally join in what you were personally involved in.
I would like to express my special thanks for allowing us to see our national flag flying on the International Space Station. This has given the Hungarian people a special sense of pride.
Ladies and gentlemen!
As our astronauts rose to the heights, they lifted us Hungarians higher too. They stirred the creative forces of the Hungarian mind. They brought excitement to scientific life in Hungary.
They showed us all that by helping each other and working together intelligently, we can achieve a great deal for human civilisation, including the future of the Hungarian people. Even unimaginable distances can be conquered, and obstacles beyond Earth can be overcome.
Dear Mr. Bertalan Farkas!
Dear Mr. Tibor Kapu!
You have once again made the Hungarian name beautiful.
On the occasion of our national holiday, you are awarded the Order of St. Stephen of Hungary.
On behalf of the Hungarian nation, I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart!
(Budapest, 20 August 2025)