Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó informed Hungarian news agency MTI that United Nations will lift the confidential status of its documents on Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet revolution stored at Columbia University and the UN’s archives.
In the past, there was little knowledge of the fact that the UN was even in possession of classified files about 1956, Mr. Szijjártó said.
As a result of Hungary’s diplomatic efforts however, talks eventually began on declassifying several documents on 1956. Talks were held with UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, who informed the Hungarian side about the decision to declassify the documents on Friday, the Minister said. Some of the files are believed to contain testimonies by people who had participated in the revolution and others are likely descriptions of the events, he said.
The first person to research the files, Hungarian historian András Nagy, specialising in the UN’s role in the 1956 revolution, will arrive in New York on 16 May, Mr. Szijjártó said.
On another note, the Minister added that after France, Ecuador and Argentina, Hungary also made a voluntary contribution of 50,000 USD to the UN Department of Political Affairs, led by Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, with the aim to support activities relative to preventive diplomacy and fostering sustainable peace, which are among the top Hungarian priorities.