The United States and Hungary to aid persecuted Christians together

Under a recently signed declaration, Hungary and the United States will in future jointly provide assistance to persecuted Christians worldwide, with special regard to Africa and the Middle East, Tristan Azbej, Hungary’s state secretary in charge of such programmes, said on Facebook on Thursday.

Hungary and the United States will jointly provide assistance to persecuted Christians

Hungary and the United States will jointly provide assistance to persecuted Christians around the world—particularly in Africa and the Middle East—under a new declaration, Tristan Azbej, the state secretary for programmes aiding persecuted Christians at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, announced on his Facebook page on Thursday.

Mr Azbej said the document commits both nations to supporting religious freedom more broadly in these crisis zones. “We shall jointly serve reconciliation and peaceful coexistence, as well as stabilisation,” he stated.

The state secretary signed the document on behalf of the Hungarian government at the US State Department with Michael Rigas, the deputy secretary of state. “This joint commitment complements and imbues the golden age of Hungarian-American relations with new meaning and dimension. Today’s signature transforms those relations into a civilisational alliance—a civilisational alliance for the defence of Christianity and persecuted Christians,” Mr Azbej declared.

He added that the signing represents extraordinary recognition of the Hungarian government’s policy of aiding the persecuted. Over the past eight years, the Hungary Helps programme has delivered aid to people persecuted for their faith in more than 50 countries, while contributing to efforts that allow those communities to build their futures in their homelands rather than embarking on illegal migration to Europe, he noted.

Mr Azbej said the US State Department views Hungary as an international leader in the struggle to defend Christianity and Christians, and regards the Hungary Helps programme’s experience as “an opportunity to save millions of innocently suffering people in future—potentially tens or even hundreds of millions—together”.

The most persecuted religious group

Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide, yet atrocities and attacks against them too often go unaddressed.  Such persecution presents a threat to American security and undermines the values upon which our nation was built.  The United States continues to call on our allies to join in providing life-saving assistance to those endangered by religious persecution.

Hungary has answered that call, once again affirming its place as a true leader and defender of persecuted Christians. Today’s signing once again underscores our shared values and affirms that this is indeed a “golden era of U.S.-Hungary relations, the US Department of State wrote in a press release.

Some of the previous successes of the Hungary helps programme:

• Hungary spends EUR 100 million rebuilding a village — in Azerbaijan
• Hungary helps Chad where PM Orbán’s only son served