PHOTOS: Hungarian-built school inaugurated in Iraq

Hungarians want peace in their homeland and on their borders, President Katalin Novák said on Saturday in Erbil, Iraq, where she met Hungarian troops serving there. She also said Hungary is ready to help whenever necessary. She and Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the autonomous Kurdistan Region, inaugurated the Meltho International School on Saturday in Iraq.

On the visit to the base in Iraqi Kurdistan, where she was received by contingent commander Gabor Hraska, Novák “conveyed the respect and thanks of the Hungarian people“, and warned of the possible escalation of the 10 month war in Ukraine. Hungary needs its troops to maintain and preserve peace, she said.

Further, Hungary needs experienced soldiers who have useful practical experience as well as theoretical knowledge for the protection of the homeland, she said. International terrorism is another common enemy, she said. “You are fighting against international terrorism here, in Kurdistan.” Tamás Vargha, a state secretary of the defence ministry, also greeted the troops.

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Hungarian-built school inaugurated in Iraq

“We Hungarians are a people of action,” Novák said, “and now we are here to support you and your communities.” Hungary exercises humility in foreign relations, Novák said. “We are respectful and do not lecture others. We want to understand and get to know our partners,” she said.

Hungary also sees democracy as a priority, and condemns all forms of violence and terrorism, she added. The Hungary Helps programme embodies the commitment to helping local communities, “facing challenges where they arise rather than forcing people and communities to leave their homelands”, she said.

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The newly inaugurated school will hopefully contribute to the development necessary to maintain a strong community, she said. “As the first female president of my country, I hope that opening this school will also contribute to strengthening the role of women,” she added. Barzani thanked Hungary’s help and “Christian brotherliness” in “investing in the future of the people of our region”, and thanked Novák for her visit.

Novák also met Yazidi women, assault survivors at the hands of the Islamic State. “Yazidi women who were abducted and assaulted along with thousands of others by the Islamic State solely because of their religious faith, have shared heartbreaking stories with me. Hungary will help in that situation too, through the Hungary Helps programme,” she said on Facebook.

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Source: MTI