|  “It gives us all great pleasure that Hungary, along with six other nations, has been included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program; this will create reciprocal conditions for travel to one another’s countries, something which the Hungarian public has desired, quite justifiably, for a long time. This is no small achievement, and it is an additional honour that President Bush himself made the announcement. I might add that the decision signals the removal of the last block of the Iron Curtain. By allowing our citizens to travel to the United States under incomparably better conditions, our traditionally strong alliance, built on common values, can be further strengthened along personal lines – an exceptionally important dimension.
The decision represents a landmark in our relations, since the visa waiver was essentially the single unresolved issue. The current decision had required support from politicians, diplomats, public figures, civil groups and citizens on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as their active participation in bringing it about. This was no easy task considering that our perceptions of security and the attached set of conditions have undergone a revaluation since the terrorist attacks of September 11. However, I believe that the agreements which have been sealed through the serious negotiations of experts and representatives from both countries have proved to be satisfactory for both the Hungarian and U.S. sides. As a result, we now have a new system of conditions which may well be described as a new era of transatlantic security co-operation. The United States and the countries included in the Visa Waiver Program have become part of modern system of co-operation which ensures wider guarantees, not only for those travelling visa-free within the transatlantic region, but in a broader sense, for all members of the transatlantic community. Our citizens will all benefit from the advantages of greater security. The visa waiver is above all about our citizens who, in the future, will be offered the opportunity to get acquainted with other countries’ values, achievements and characteristics under freer, but, at the same time, safer conditions, and also to enrich each other in this way. Closer relations between our citizens will serve the well-being of our countries.  I should like to take this opportunity to thank the U.S. administration and legislators for their support for the Visa Waiver Program. I am genuinely grateful to those experts who both in Washington and Budapest acted on the general public’s expectations and actively participated in establishing the legal, institutional and practical conditions for receiving the visa waiver and for resolving the complex issues which emerged along the way. I would like to thank Ambassador April H. Foley and the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest for the role they undertook in this process.
And finally allow me to wish that all Hungarians take advantage of the opportunity to travel visa-free to the United States and to offer a warm welcome to our American friends here. I am certain they will contribute to strengthening a positive image of Hungary in their beautiful country, whose rise and achievements have been helped by several Hungarians, among them Hungarian-born scientists and Nobel-prize winners.” (October 17, 2008) |