On their meeting on 17 January 2012, the Hungarian Foreign Minister emphasised that the extermination of the victims of the Holocaust meant a serious historical loss for the whole Hungarian nation; it is our duty to remember them. We regard it as a national issue to keep the memory of Raoul Wallenberg and other heroes rescuing our persecuted compatriots alive.

Yossi Peled expressed his government’s appreciation of the fact that Hungary ceremonially commemorates the centenary of Raoul Wallenberg’s birth. They both affirmed that the relations between the two countries are distinguished and close relations originating from the common past of the Hungarian people and the Jewish community included in it, and from the centuries-long interaction of the two cultures.

The parties exchanged their opinions on the current issues in the Middle East, particularly on the revolutionary changes in the Arab World and the prospects of peace process in the Middle East. The two ministers agreed that there is no alternative to the two-state solution to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which can only be achieved through negotiations.

As guest of honour of the inauguration of the Raul Wallenberg Year, Yossi Peled, Minister without Portfolio from Israel visited Budapest on 16-18 January 2012 at the invitation of Foreign Minister János Martonyi.

(kormany.hu)