Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok: Serving The Nation Is The Greatest Honor + Video

The official inauguration ceremony of the President of the Republic Tamas Sulyok was attended by public dignitaries, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his wife.

Sulyok Tamás Forrás: MTVA

The official inauguration ceremony of the President of the Republic Tamas Sulyok, taking place at Szent Gyorgy Square, was attended by public dignitaries, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his wife.

In the Buda Castle, the ceremony commenced with military honors, and after the display of the historic flags of Hungary, folk singer Hanga Kacso sang Hungary's national anthem, and actress Anna Kubik recited Tibor Gyurkovics's poem Nemzet [Nation].

After the blessing of the historic churches and a performance by the Proka-Torok choir of the Budapest Bar Association, Tamas Sulyok took to the podium to greet the citizens of Hungary as the seventh president of free Hungary.

Protecting the dignity of the Hungarian people

The president began by thanking the support he received and noted that he had no plans of becoming the president of the republic, but over the years he learned to appreciate the power of chance and unsolicited events in shaping fate.

"I consider it the greatest honor to serve the country and the nation. As president, I always want to protect the dignity of the Hungarian people," Tamas Sulyok said, and he praised his predecessors, who paved the way for him to follow.

With all my actions, I would like to express the unity that we, Hungarians, are a proud European people with more than a thousand years of history, a people who want justice to prevail by all means, and that we are able to do all this based on conviction, guided by emotions and interspersed with humor,

the head of state said. "Law is my support, the compass of my life. I want to work on this basis," he underlined. He emphasized that he would remain firmly grounded in public law throughout his presidency.

"Hungary is a country with a thousand years of statehood, based on popular sovereignty. The rule of law is nowadays often  applied in a political sense, but I use the term rule of law to mean that the functioning of the state in its entirety is subject to law. All power can only be understood within the framework of law," Tamas Sulyok emphasized.

National and European

"Our fundamental law is clear: the president of the republic expresses the unity of the nation and watches over the democratic functioning of the state. It is this unity that I cannot and will not allow to be disrupted," the president of the republic said, adding that he will not forget where he came from and the spiritual and cultural space in which his family's and his personal life were rooted.

My being Hungarian, my Christian faith, my cultural belonging, which constitute features that are both national and European, are the sources of my values. This is the source I draw on in my life and work, and it is only from this perspective that I can and want to see the world,

Tamas Sulyok pointed out.

The president of the republic recalled that his predecessor set an excellent example of openness towards international relations and close ties with Hungarians living outside of Hungary. He wishes to follow this path and will not deviate from it. He considers one of the most important achievements of recent years that

the president of the republic of Hungary is responsible, not only in spirit but also in terms of public law, for his compatriots living in Hungary and beyond the country's borders, and he is determined to fulfill this responsibility. 

"It arises from our commonality of fate that good relations with our neighbors and regional partners, and cooperation with the Visegrad countries, are of the utmost importance to us. We strive to cooperate with all the nations of the world," Tamas Sulyok pointed out, and highlighted that those in need, those who are in trouble through no fault of their own can always count on his support.

Our country is unquestionably part of the West, the president stressed.

"Our belonging to Europe was the choice of Saint Stephen, confirmed by generations to this day. As Hungarians, our fate is forged together with the fate of Europe, and we can strengthen the continent as long as we can do so as Hungarians. Europe's future does not depend on us alone, but on every country. It is of the utmost importance that in the face of uncertainty, we Hungarians should stand on firm ground," Tamas Sulyok underscored.

In his view, achieving a good life, security and freedom is possible when citizens and the state share a common goal.

"The state must serve its citizens. If a state takes pride in its virtues, it must also take responsibility for its mistake. Without trust there is no state, no economy and no legal system. I will strive to ensure mutual interest, understanding and respect," Tamas Sulyok said.

"The peace of our families and the stability of our country depend on us. With all my actions as president of the republic, I will work to ensure that we Hungarians, true to our heritage, can be proud of the 21st century chapters of our history that lie ahead of us. True to my oath and my convictions, I will serve my country and my nation with all my knowledge and strength, within the framework provided for me by our fundamental law," concluded the president of the republic of Hungary.

Tamas Sulyok took office on March 5. The parliament elected him as the president of the republic on February 26, after his predecessor, Katalin Novak, resigned due to the clemency controversy. After the vote, the elected head of state took the oath of office.

The first step of the new president of the republic was to sign the parliamentary decision on Sweden's accession to NATO on the day he took office. Tamas Sulyok met with Viktor Orban at the Sandor Palace on Wednesday. The prime minister and the president will hold regular consultations on geopolitical, European and domestic issues that carry key importance for Hungary, Bertalan Havasi, the PM's press chief said.

 Cover photo: Tamas Sulyok and his wife attending the inauguration ceremony (Sourvce: MTVA)