In his message to the participants of the commemoration held by the Jewish Congregation of Budapest in the Dohány Street Synagogue on 18 January 2012, the Hungarian Foreign Minister claimed the Shoah to still be an open wound in Hungarian history, and stated that during the time of terror the Hungarian state had failed to protect its citizens, who, therefore, had lost their country in which they had been born and their fate, having been deprived of their Hungarian identity and human dignity.

János Martonyi expressed his belief that this year’s Wallenberg Year provides an opportunity for a thorough study of the time of terror, for dignified remembrance, and for the examination of the question of responsibility, as history teaches us that social renewal is inconceivable without turning to one another and sharing our experiences, without understanding and dialogue.

János Martonyi’s message was presented by János Hóvári, the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs.

(kormany.hu)