Prime Minister Viktor Orbán handed over the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary to former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar on Wednesday in the Parliament Building in Budapest. President of the Republic János Áder awarded the decoration to the former people’s party Prime Minister in recognition of his efforts made for the promotion of Hungarian-Spanish relations, Hungary’s Euro-Atlantic integration, and the enforcement of Hungary’s European interests.
At the ceremony, Viktor Orbán said that José María Aznar, who was Prime Minister of Spain between 1996 and 2004, is a European head of state who „still remembers that the foundations of the European Union lie in its constituent nations", and who knows that „if there are no nations in Europe, there is no EU either".
He represents ideals in Europe such as greatness, integrity and commitment, the Hungarian Prime Minister said, highlighting that the Spanish politician established perhaps Europe’s most influential and most advanced people’s party in the mid-1990s. He created a modern right-wing political community, and a modern, people’s party Spain. He stressed that José María Aznar is a friend of Hungary who has always supported Hungary’s NATO and EU-membership and has made it amply clear that there is no united Europe without Central-Europe.
The decorated politician reiterated in his speech that the Hungarian people will celebrate the anniversary of the 1956 revolution in a week’s time. While the freedom fight was foiled by Moscow at the time, freedom later eventually prevailed in Hungary, he said, stressing at the same time that there are still a number of countries world-wide that are deprived of freedom.
Moscow continues to attempt to enforce its will by means of force, he stated. José María Aznar said that the time of strong leaders has come in Europe „who stand up for more freedom, rather than for less freedom”, and who believe in individual responsibility, rather than in state paternalism. He took the view that the time has come for strengthening a democratic Europe: we need a more open, more transparent but more accountable continent. At the same time, he also urged the reinforcement of the Atlantic alliance between the United States and Europe.