Tomasz Sakiewicz, Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Polska, and László Csizmadia, President of CÖF-CÖKA, in Budapest, renew cooperation between NGOs from the two countries.

CENTRAL EUROPE IS NOT ONLY THREATENED FROM THE EAST

POLISH AND HUNGARIAN NGOs SIGN A STRATEGIC AGREEMENT

Tomasz Sakiewicz Editor-in-Chief of Gazeta Polska and László Csizmadia, President of CÖF-CÖKA (Photo: Zoltán Havran)

The chances of war always increase when the rights of nations are forgotten, said Tomasz Sakiewicz, editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska, at the renewal of the contract between the Civil Society Foundation for Civil Co-operation (CÖF-CÖKA) and Gazeta Polska in Budapest on Wednesday. László Csizmadia, President of CÖF-CÖKA, said that the exemplary historical friendship between the Hungarian and Polish peoples cannot be broken by any event.

Our common history goes back thousands of years. The cooperation between the Hungarian and Polish nations is immense. If the European Union had been built from the very beginning on the basis of this friendship, based on respect, we would certainly be in a different place today,” said Tomasz Sakiewicz, editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska, at the renewal of the contract between the CÖF-CÖKA (Civil Society Foundation for Civil Society) and Gazeta Polska in Budapest.

CÖF-CÖKA signed a strategic contract with 450 clubs of Gazeta Polska in 2012. This contract is now being renewed on the occasion of its tenth anniversary. Speaking about the war, Tomasz Sakiewicz explained that global changes are taking place in the world and that Europe is also affected. He explained that almost as many people have left Ukraine as live in Hungary today. In Poland, there are fears that the war could spread further.

We know from history that Russia asserts its interests by force. When it comes to interests, friendship does not count,” he added. Tomasz Sakiewicz said that the chances of war always increase when the rights of nations are forgotten.

We, the peoples of Central Europe, are not only threatened from the East. From the West they want to tell us what democracy is. They even want to punish Italy and Sweden because their people, using democratic means, chose differently from the way the European elite had imagined. This perception must change. If the peoples of the world understood and embraced the principles of cooperation between our countries, there would certainly be no war anywhere in the world today, and we would not be talking about an economic crisis. All wars start because one nation thinks it is better than another,” he said, adding that he blamed the EU for failing to prevent war.

The Russia-Ukraine war has not only caught EU leaders off guard, but also its countries and peoples. Russian aggression is unacceptable. The disregard for the rights of nations and nationalities and the curtailment of civil liberties by both sides is reprehensible. The President of CÖF-CÖKA added that the Hungarian and Polish people are in favour of peace. He said that the exemplary historical friendship between the Hungarian and Polish peoples should not be torn apart by any event.

The First and Second World Wars taught our peoples that the Nazi and Bolshevik aggressors were capable of anything. After a considered assessment of the consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian war, it became clear that the V4 must be an indispensable link. It provides a safeguard against the alarming advance of political and economic globalisation,” he said. László Csizmadia added that, in the light of what had been said, the time had come to complement and strengthen the strategic cooperation between CÖF-CÖKA and Gazeta Polska.

Originally published Magyar Nemzet 2022.10.20 by Aron Ternovácz