The festive event was attended by representatives of the Romanian government, members of the diplomatic corps, parliamentary and governmental representatives, public and church figures, as well as prominent Hungarian and Romanian business partners in addition to the local Hungarian community.
In her ceremonial speech, H.E. Katalin Kissné Hlatki Ambassador of Hungary drew attention to the ideals and moral message of the 1956 revolution, which are still valid today, and to the importance of standing up for freedom and independence, emphasizing that the Hungarian heroes of 1956 gave their lives for freedom and their nation. She underlined that, as history shows, solidarity did not stop at the borders of Hungary. There were also student demonstrations in Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iași and Bucharest, expressing support for the Hungarian revolution and demanding democratic reforms in Romania.
Following the Ambassador's speech, Deputy Prime Minister Mr Barna Tánczos and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Luca Niculescu delivered welcoming remarks.
At the national holiday reception, two young artists, singer Anthusa Georgescu and cellist Dávid Szenkovics, supported by the evening's executive sponsor MOL Romania and the Foundation for the Community, performed a short program.
On 23rd October the Embassy of Hungary commemorated the victims of ’56, both at the Imre Nagy Monument in Snagov and at the Petőfi Sándor Cultural Center in Bucharest.
