Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me a great pleasure to greet you here at the opening of our exhibition dedicated to the memory of the Hungarian revolution of 1956.

Fifty years have passed since the Hungarian nation stood up against a brutal dictatorship, demanding multiparty democracy and freedom. The revolution of 1956 briefly established the hope that a democratic social order may be created even by nations that had found themselves on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain. However, after a few days of freedom, the totalitarian forces cruelly crushed the Hungarian uprising and restored the regime with its imported ideology.

Even if the direct support that the revolutionaries were so eagerly waiting for did not materialise, the peoples of our globe showed overwhelming sympathy as they followed the events of 1956. The moral example of the struggle of a small nation in search of freedom was echoed by the whole democratic world. The international community expressed solidarity by offering humanitarian assistance, and by receiving and supporting almost two hundred thousand refugees. To meet the needs of the Hungarians compelled to leave their motherland, many nations were engaged in rendering help for them, mobilizing a vast amount of human, intellectual and financial resources.

The United Nations played a complex role in the Hungarian Revolution. The UN agencies, especially the UNHCR and other international organizations, mainly the predecessor of the IOM, the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration proved their effectiveness in tackling the humanitarian crisis by coordinating international actions to protect the refugees. The issue of Hungarians was the first challenge that the UNHCR, and the ICEM, two new-born international organizations, had to face.

This tremendous challenge was a milestone for the UN in its wide-ranging work to render effective and immediate assistance for the people in need all over the world. Our special thanks go to Austria which, as the first stop for the Hungarians emerging from behind the Great Divide, was in the forefront of international relief and refugee operations.

The United Nations was also a key player in nurturing the memory of the revolution. The General Assembly kept the so called Hungarian Question on the agenda of the world organization till the very last days of 1962, and adopted a series of resolutions condemning the suppression of the will of the Hungarian nation. However, it is needless to say that the General Assembly could have only relatively limited power to influence the events in Hungary itself.

We should also commend the UN for establishing the most accurate picture of the events of 1956 by setting up a Special Committee on the problem of Hungary. The Committee collected evidence, took testimony and received information on the revolution and came out with an impartial, objective, systematic and detailed report. It has remained one of the most comprehensive sources of information on this historic event up till now.

Even today one is deeply moved by the trust Hungarian people put in the UN in those times, and I truly believe that this is a heritage that we and our children can cherish. As Secretary-General-elect Mr. Ban Ki-moon pointed out in his acceptance speech just a couple of days ago „the UN flag was and remains a beacon of better days to come”. And, needless to say, the Republic of Hungary fully shares this view.

We are grateful not only to the heroes of our revolution, but also to those who organized and coordinated first the humanitarian assistance and, later, the refugee operations, as well as to diplomats and politicians who kept the Hungarian Question on the agenda of the world organisation for several years.

Hungary will never forget the devotion of Povl Bang-Jensen, a distinguished Danish UN officer, who served as secretary of the UN Commission entrusted with the examination of the problem of Hungary in 1956, and who, most probably, had to pay with his life for his determination to find the truth. It is a token of our gratitude that the statute of this outstanding person was erected in the building of our Ministry for Foreign Affairs right after the democratic transition in 1990. Ever since, his example has been a source of inspiration for new generations of our foreign service officers.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, Dear Colleagues,

Sincere thanks to those of you who helped us establish this exhibition. Thanks to all of you who honoured its opening by your gracious presence. And thank you for your attention.