Matteo Salvini: Path to Hungarian Freedom Leads from Imre Nagy to Viktor Orban

The road to Hungarian freedom leads from Imre Nagy to Viktor Orban, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the ruling Lega party, told MTI at a ceremony organized by the Hungarian Embassy in Rome on Wednesday evening. Mr. Salvini also announced that he will attend the upcoming Fidesz congress in Budapest in November.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (Photo: AFP)

Matteo Salvini was the guest of honor at the reception hosted by Ambassador Adam Zoltan Kovacs. More than 300 guests attended the commemoration, including members of the international diplomatic corps and representatives of Italian politics, culture, and public life.

1956 remains a symbol of freedom to this day, said the secretary-general of the Lega, which belongs to the Patriots for Europe party group.

Italy and Hungary are linked by their history of freedom and their struggle against dictatorships. The history of the Hungarian people is a history of pride, because they succeeded in freeing themselves from the beast that communism represented in the last century, a beast that, unfortunately, some still glorify today under red flags in Italy and elsewhere in Europe,

he said.

"In addition to freedom, friendship also connects Italians and Hungarians, and we are bound by friendship to one of the most enlightened, courageous, consistent, and loyal political leaders of our time, who is also helping Italy by saying no to Brussels on our behalf and on behalf of others," he said referring to Viktor Orban. The road to Hungarian freedom leads from [martyred Prime Minister of Hungary's 1956 uprising ] Imre Nagy to Viktor Orban.

Matteo Salvini said peace was another common European value, and added that thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump, there is now hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and a similar result must be achieved in Ukraine.

It is no coincidence that President Trump identified Budapest as the ideal venue for balance, dialogue, and diplomacy, with the goal of bringing Putin and Zelensky to the same table. I hope this happens soon, because it would benefit everyone. And I hope that in Brussels or Paris no one boycotts the peace process. We know that in the palaces of Brussels, Orban is not particularly popular, because he is brave, free, independent, and cannot be bought,

Salvini emphasized.

Hungary is under pressure. Brussels is withholding billions of euros that rightfully belong to the Hungarian people, simply to "blackmail Orban and his nation. This is disgusting, shameful, and embarrassing. I hope the peace conference will take place in Budapest as soon as possible. It would be a wonderful signal to the bureaucrats of Brussels," he said.

Matteo Salvini, who has been a frequent guest at Hungarian national celebrations in Rome since 2018, delivered a speech in which he described the 1956 Revolution in Hungary as "one of the darkest yet most radiant moments in history," symbolizing civic resistance, courage, and independence.

He noted that Hungarians today deserve the same independence, "because if we accept whom Italians or Germans choose in their elections, then we must also accept whom the Hungarians have elected."

He added that between Hungary and Italy "there runs not a red line, but a red-white-green one," referring to the colors of the two nations’ flags. "Brussels is blocking funds for Hungary for ideological and political reasons. That is neither fair, nor democratic, nor normal. But while some work to isolate Viktor Orban, we will not leave him alone, and the community that supports him is growing."

President Trump, too, is unpopular in certain salons, but fortunately, elections are not held in the salons,

Matteo Salvini said.

In closing, he cited the construction of the Hungarian port in Trieste as a model of cooperation between the two countries. He announced that he will attend Fidesz's congress in November and noted that the friendship between the two nations is also symbolized by the fact that Italy has given Hungary an excellent manager for Hungary's national football team in the person of Marco Rossi.

Cover photo: Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (Photo: AFP)