It was on this day 25 years ago that the representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Hungary signed the “agreement on friendly cooperation and European partnership”.
This agreement came about as the natural result of the peaceful revolution, unprecedented in history, which process was preceded by such courageous acts as opening the Hungarian-Austrian border to citizens of the GDR in 1989. This moment knocked the first brick out of the Berlin Wall and facilitated the road towards German and European unity. The agreement is the basis for bilateral relations between or two countries to this day. In recent years, Hungary and Germany have developed a close partnership within both the European Union and NATO. The goals and commitments set down in the agreement remain valid to this day.
We hereby confirm, just as we did 25 years ago, that we attribute key importance to the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the establishment of a European unity based of democracy and the rule of law. While taking into account our mutual interests we will continue to stand up to keep the European Union intact, and especially for a European community with no borders. Our common goal is to assure the prosperity, decubiti and cohesion of Europe, to protect minorities, and to contribute to economic growth and competitiveness. Our future is founded on a united Europe, including the internal market.
We bear responsibility for the process of European integration, which is currently endangered by many factors. One of our important targets is the protection of fundamental values. We engage in close, multifaceted and, if required, critical dialogue with each other. Involved in this are our parliaments and governments, but also our federal states and regions. In addition to official links, there also exists a wide-ranging network of human and social relations between our two countries, which fill bilateral dialogue with life and diversity. One of the most outstanding examples of this is the Andrássy Gyula German Language University of Budapest, the only German language higher education institution of its kind outside Germany or Austria. Another important link between you two nations is the German minority living in Hungary, and those members of the German community who were deported from Hungary following the Second World War and striped of their citizenship. In the spirit of reconciliation, Hungary holds a national day of remembrance in respect of German deportees. The sessions of the Hungarian-German Forum, which has been held since 1991, represent a very special form of dialogue within the fields of politics, the economy, culture and the media.
Hungarian-German relations rest on deep and diverse foundations. It is based on these foundations that we would like to cooperate both bilaterally and on the European and international stage so that we may maintain and improve the European Union, as a community of values and a guarantor of peace, for future generations.
Signed on 6 February 2017 in Budapest and Berlin
Péter Szijjártó Sigmar Gabriel