Independence DayEast Timor - M a y 2 0

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly knownas East Timor is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia. It com-prises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby is-lands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on thenorthwestern side of the island, within Indonesian WestTimor. The small country of 15,410 km² (5,400 sq mi) is lo-cated about 640 km (400 mi) northwest of Darwin, Australia.East Timor was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century,and was known as Portuguese Timor until Portugal's decol-onization of the country. In late 1975, East Timor declaredits independence, but later that year was invaded and occu-pied by Indonesia and was declared Indonesia's 27thprovince the following year. In 1999, following the United Na-tions-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relin-quished control of the territory and East Timor became thefirst new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002. East Timor is one of only two predominantly RomanCatholic countries in Asia, the other being the Philippines.East Timor has a lower-middle-income economy. It continues to suffer the aftereffects of a decades-long independ-ence struggle against Indonesia, which damaged infrastructure and displaced thousands of civilians. It is placed120th by Human Development Index(HDI).

HistoryIt is believed that descendants from at least three waves of migration still live in East Timor. The first were related tothe principal Australoid indigenous groups of New Guineaand Australia, and arrived before 40,000 years ago. Around3000 BC, Austronesians migrated to Timor, and are thought to be associated with the development of agriculture onthe island. Thirdly, proto-Malays arrived from south China and north Indochina. Before colonialism Timor was includedin Chinese and Indian trading networks, being in the 14th century an exporter of aromatic sandalwood, slaves, honeyand wax. Early European explorers report that the island had a number of small chiefdoms or princedoms in theearly 16th century.The Portuguese established outposts in Timor and Maluku. Effective European occupation of a small part of the ter-ritory began in 1769, when the city of Dili was founded and the colony of Portuguese Timor declared.A definitiveborder between the Dutch colonised western half of the island and the Portuguese colonised eastern half of theisland was established by the Hague Treaty of 1914, and it remains the international boundary between the successorstates East Timor and Indonesia. For the Portuguese, East Timor remained little more than a neglected trading postuntil the late nineteenth century, with minimal investment in infrastructure, health, and education. Sandalwood re-mained the main export crop with coffee exports becoming significant in the mid-nineteenth century. In places wherePortuguese rule was asserted, it tended to be brutal and exploitative.At the beginning of the twentieth century, a faltering home economy prompted the Portuguese to extract greaterwealth from its colonies, which was met with Timorese resistance. During World War II, the Japanese occupied Dili,and the mountainous interior became the scene of a guerrilla campaign, known as the Battle of Timor. Waged by Al-lied forces and Timorese volunteers against the Japanese, the struggle resulted in the deaths of between 40,000and 70,000 Timorese. Following the end of the war, Portuguese control was reinstated.The decolonisation process instigated by the 1974 Portuguese revolution saw Portugal effectively abandon thecolony of East Timor. A civil war between supporters of East Timorese political parties, Fretilin and the UDT, brokeout in 1975 as UDT attempted a coup which Fretilin resisted with the help of local Portuguese military. Independencewas unilaterally declared on November 28, 1975. The Indonesian government was fearful of an independent com-munist state within the Indonesian archipelago, and at the height of the Cold War, Western governments were sup-portive of Indonesia's position. The Indonesian military launched a full-scale invasion of East Timor in December1975. Indonesia declared East Timor as its 27th province on July 17, 1976. The UN Security Council opposed theinvasion and the territory's nominal status in the UN remained "non-self-governing territory under Portuguese ad-ministration."Indonesia's occupation of East Timor was marked by violence and brutality. A detailed statistical report prepared forthe Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor cited a minimum bound of 102,800 conflict-related deaths in the period 1974–1999, namely, approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200 'excess' deaths fromhunger and illness. The East Timorese guerrilla force, Falintil, fought a campaign against the Indonesian forces from1975–1999. The 1991 Dili Massacre was a turning point for the independence cause internationally, and an EastTimor solidarity movement grew in Portugal, Australia, and the United States.Following the resignation of Indonesian President Suharto, a UN-sponsored agreement between Indonesia and Por-tugal allowed for UN-supervised popular referendum in August 1999. The resulting clear vote for independence wasmet with a punitive campaign of violenceby Timorese pro-integration militia with the support of elements of the In-donesian military (main article 1999 referendum). An Australian-led international peacekeeping force, INTERFET,was sent (with Indonesian permission) until order was restored. The administration of East Timor was taken over bythe UN through the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) in October 1999. The IN-TERFET deployment ended in February 2000 with the transfer of military command to the UN. East Timorese inde-pendence was formalised on May 20, 2002 with Xanana Gusmão sworn in as the country's first President. EastTimor became a member of the UN on September 27, 2002.In June 2006, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri resigned as Prime Minister, and José Ramos-Horta was appointed as hissuccessor.The following year, Gusmão declined another presidential term and in the build-up to the April 2007 pres-idential elections there were renewed outbreaks of violence. José Ramos-Horta was elected President in the May2007 election. Ramos-Horta was critically injured in an attempted assassination in February 2008. Prime MinisterGusmão also faced gunfire separately but escaped unharmed. Australian reinforcements were immediately sent tohelp keep order.In 2006, the United Nations sent in security forces to restore order when unrest and factional fighting forced 15 per-cent of the population (155,000 people) to flee their homes. In March 2011, the UN handed-off operational controlof the police force to the East Timor authorities, but more than 1,200 UN police officers still patrol on the street. Afterthe 2012 presidential election, the missions are scheduled to end.

Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development

International - M a y 2 1The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dia-logue and Development is a United Nations–sanctioned international holiday for thepromotion of diversity issues. It is currently heldon May 21. The United Nations General Assem-bly proclaimed this holiday due to UNESCO'sUniversal Declaration on Cultural Diversity inNovember 2001. It was proclaimed by UN Res-olution 57/249.Diversity Day, officially known as "The WorldDay for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and De-velopment", is an opportunity to help communi-ties understand the value of cultural diversityand learn how to live together in harmony. Itwas adopted in the wake of the terrorist attackson September 11, 2001.

Independence Day Jordan - May 25

Jordan officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan(Arabic: ةيمشاهلا ةيندرألا ةكلمملا), Al-Mamlakah Al-Ur-daniyyah Al-Hashimiyyah) is akingdom on the EastBank of the River Jordan. The country borders SaudiArabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank andIsraelto the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea with thelatter. Jordan's only port is at its south-western tip, atthe Gulf of Aqaba, which is shared with Israel, Egypt,and Saudi Arabia. Over half of Jordan is covered bythe Arabian Desert. However, the western part of Jor-dan is arable land and forests. Jordan is part of theFertile Crescent. The capital city isAmman. Accordingto the CIA World Factbook, Jordan has the secondhighest life expectancy in the Middle East, after Israel.The average life expectancy is one position behindthe United Kingdom, although the age remains exactlythe same (80.05 years).Modern Jordan was founded in 1921, and it was recognized by the League of Nations as a state under the Britishmandate in 1922 known as The Emirate of Transjordan. In 1946, Jordan became an independent sovereign state of-ficially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan. After capturing the West Bank area of Cisjordan during the1948–49 war with Israel, Abdullah I took the title King of Jordan, and he officially changed the country's name to theHashemite Kingdom of Jordan in April 1949.Modern Jordan is classified as a country of "medium human development" by the 2011 Human Development Report,and an emerging market with a free market economy by theCIA World Fact Book. Jordan has an "upper middle in-come" economy. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States went into effect in December, 2001 phased outduties on nearly all goods and services between the two countries. Jordan has also enjoyed "advanced status" withthe European Union since December 2010 as well as being a memberof the Euro-Mediterranean free trade area. Jordan has more FreeTrade Agreements than any other country in the region. It has closerelations with the United States and the United Kingdom, and becamea major non-NATO ally of the United States in 1996. Jordan is a found-ing member of the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC). Jordan was invited to Join the Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC). Jordan was the first Arab and Middle Eastern state tojoin the International Criminal Court. The Jordanian Government isone of three members of the 22 Arab League states to maintain diplo-matic relations with Israel, the others being the Egyptian and Pales-tinian governments.

History of JordanAncient history:Kingdoms that flourished in the area in the 2nd and 1st millennia B.C. include NabateanPetra, Edom, Ammon, andMoab which flourished in Jordan in the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C. The Nabatean kingdom (Arabic: طابنألا, Al-Anbāt) was one of the most prominent states in the region. The Nabateans were an ancient Semitic people who con-trolled the regional and international trade routes of the ancient world by dominating a large area southwest of thefertilecrescent, which included the whole of modern Jordan in addition to the southern part ofSyria in the north and thenorthern part of Arabian Peninsula in the south. The Nabataeans developed the Arabic Script, with their language asan intermediary between Aramaean and the ancient Classical Arabic, which evolved into Modern Arabic.In antiquity, the present day Jordan became a home for several ancient kingdoms including: the kingdom of Edom,the kingdom ofMoab, the kingdom of Ammon and the prominent Nabataean kingdom of Petra. However, across dif-ferent eras of history, parts of the country laid under the control of some regional powers including Pharaonic Egyptduring their wars with the Babylonian and the Hittites; and for discrete periods of times by Israelites who were takenunder the captivity of the Babylonian, and who were later defeated by theMoabites as recorded in Mesha Stele. Fur-thermore, and due to its strategic location in the middle of the ancient world, Jordan was also controlled by the ancientempires of Greece, the Persians, the Romans and later by the Byzantine. Yet, the Nabataean managed to createtheir independent kingdom which covered most parts of modern Jordan and beyond, for some centuries, before itwas taken by the still expanding Roman empire. However, apart from Petra, the Romans maintained the prosperityof most of the ancient cities in Jordan which enjoyed a sort of city-state autonomy under the umbrella of the allianceof the Decapolis. With the decline of the Roman Empire, Jordan came to be controlled by the Ghassanid Arab king-dom. In the seventh century, and due to its proximity to Damascus, Jordan became a heartland for the Arabic IslamicEmpire and therefore secured several centuries of stability and prosperity, which allowed the coining of its currentArabic Islamic identity. In the 11th century, Jordan witnessed a phase of instability, as it became a battlefield for theCrusade wars which ended with defeat by the Ayyubids. Jordan suffered also from the Mongol attacks which wereblocked by Mamluks. In 1516, It became part of the Ottoman Empire and it remained so until 1918, when the Armyof the Great Arab Revolt took over, and secured the present day Jordan with the help and support of Jordan localtribes.The Kingdom of Edom was based in the south of Jordan. The Mesha Stele recorded the glory of the King of Edomand the victories over the Israelites and other nations. The Ammon and Moab kingdoms are mentioned in ancientmaps, Near Eastern documents, ancientGreco-Roman artifacts, and Christian and Jewish religious scriptures.Nabataean civilization left many magnificent archaeological sites at Petra, which is considered one of the New SevenWonders of the World as well as recognized by the UNESCO as a world Heritage site. Other civilizations leavingtheir archaeological fingerprints on Jordan include the Hellenistic and the Roman through their ruins in Decapoliscities of Gerasa (Jerash), Gadara (Umm Qais),Philadelphia (Amman), Capitolias (Beit Ras), Raphana, Pella and Ara-bella (Irbid) and the Byzantine site of Um er-Rasas (a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site). The Arabic Islamic Empire hasleft desert palaces such as Qasr Mshatta, Qasr al Hallabat and Qasr Amra; and the castles of Ajloun and Al Karakwhich were used in the Crusader, Ayyubid and Mamluk eras. The country also has Ottomanmosques, tombs, railwaystations and fortresses.Classic antiquity:During the Greco-Roman period, a number of semi-independent city-states also developed in the region of Jordanunder the umbrella of the Decapolis including: Gerasa (Jerash), Philadelphia (Amman), Raphana (Abila), Dion (Capi-tolias), Gadara (Umm Qays), and Pella(Irbid). Parts of Jordan were later incorporated into the Hasmonean kingdom,with pastoralist Nabateans slowly establishing their own realm in the southern parts of the Transjordan. Followingthe establishment of Roman Empire at Syria and Judaea, the country was incorporated into the client Judaea Kingdomof Herod, and later the Iudaea Province. With the suppression of Jewish Revolts, the eastern bank of Jordan was in-corporated into the Syria Palaestina province, while the eastern deserts fell under Parthian and laterPersian Sassanidcontrol.Muslim empires:In the 7th century, and for several centuries, the region of today's Jor-dan became one of the heartlands of the Arabic Islamic Empireacrossits different Caliphates' stages, including the Rashidun Empire,Umayyad Empire and Abbasid Empire. During the Islamic era, Jordancoined its current Arabic Islamic cultural identity. Several resourcespointed that the Abbasid movement, was started in region of Jordanbefore it took over the Umayyad empire. After the decline of the Ab-basid, It was ruled by several conflicting powers including theMongols,the Crusaders, the Ayyubids and the Mamluks until it became part ofthe Ottoman Empire in 1516.Great Arab Revolt:During World War I, the Jordanian tribes fought, along with other tribesof Hijaz and Levantregions, as part of the Arab Army of the Great ArabRevolt. The revolt was launched byHashemites and led by Sherif Hussein of Mecca against the Ottoman Empire. Itwas supported by the Allies of World War I. The chronicle of the revolt was written by T. E. Lawrence who, as a youngBritish Army officer, played a liaison role during the revolt. He published the chronicle in London, 1922 under the title"Seven Pillars of Wisdom", which was the base for the iconic movie "Lawrence of Arabia".The Great Arab Revolt was successful in liberating most of the territories of Hijaz and theLevant, including the regionof east of Jordan. However, it failed to gain international recognition of the region as an independent state, due mainlyto the secret Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 and the Balfour Declaration of 1917. This was seen by the Hashemitesand the Arabs as betrayal of the previous agreements with the British, including the McMahon–Hussein Correspon-dence in 1915, in which the British stated their willingness to recognize the independence of the Arab state in Hijazand the Levant. However, a compromise was eventually reached and the Emirate of Transjordan was created underthe Hashemites reign.British mandate of Transjordan:In September 1922 the Council of the League of Nations recognizedTransjordan as a state under the British Mandate and Transjordanmemorandum excluded the territories east of the River Jordan fromall of the provisions of the mandate dealing with Jewish settlement.The country remained under British supervision until 1946.The Hashemite leadership met multiple difficulties upon assumingpower in the region. The most serious threats to emir Abdullah's posi-tion in Transjordan were repeated Wahhabi incursions from Najd intosouthern parts of his territory. The emir was powerless to repel thoseraids by himself, thus the British maintained a military base, with asmall air force, at Marka, close to Amman. The British military forcewas the primary obstacle against the Ikhwan, and was also used tohelp emir Abdullah with the suppression of local rebellions at Kura andlater by Sultan Adwan, in 1921 and 1923 respectively.Independence:On May 25, 1946 the United Nations approved the end of the British Mandate and recognized Jordan as an inde-pendent sovereign kingdom. The Parliament of Jordan proclaimed King Abdullah as the first King.On April 24, 1950, Jordan formally annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem, an act that was regarded as illegaland void by the Arab League. The move formed part of Jordan’s "Greater Syria Plan" expansionist policy,and in re-sponse, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Syria joined Egypt in demanding Jordan’s expulsion from the Arab League. Amotion to expel Jordan from the League was prevented by the dissenting votes of Yemen and Iraq. On June 12,1950, the Arab League declared the annexation was a temporary, practical measure and that Jordan was holdingthe territory as a “trustee” pending a future settlement. On July 27, 1953, King Hussein of Jordan announced thatEast Jerusalem was "the alternative capital of the Hashemite Kingdom" and would form an "integral and inseparablepart" of Jordan.Abdullah I was assassinated in 1951 as he was leaving the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.Jordan became a founding member of the Arab League in 1945 and, as an independent country, it joined the UnitedNations in 1955. In 1957 it terminated the Anglo-Jordan treaty, one year after the king sacked the British personnelserving in the Jordanian Army. This act of Arabization ensured the complete sovereignty of Jordan as a fully inde-pendent nation.1967 Six Day War:In May 1967, Jordan signed a military pact with Egypt. In June 1967,it joined Egypt, Syria and Iraq in the Six Day War against Israel, whichended in an Israeli victory and the capture of the West Bank and EastJerusalem. The period following the war saw an upsurge in the activityand numbers of Arab Palestinian paramilitary elements (fedayeen)within the state of Jordan. These distinct, armed militias were becom-ing a "state within a state", threatening Jordan's rule of law. King Hus-sein's armed forces targeted the fedayeen, and open fighting eruptedin June 1970. The battle in which Palestinian fighters from variousPalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) groups were expelled fromJordan is commonly known asBlack September.The heaviest fighting occurred in northern Jordan and Amman. In theensuing heavy fighting, a Syrian tank force invaded northern Jordanto back the fedayeen fighters, but subsequently retreated. King Hus-sein urgently asked the United States and Great Britain to interveneagainst Syria. Consequently, Israel performed mock air strikes on theSyrian column at the Americans' request. Soon after, Syrian PresidentNureddin al-Atassi, ordered a hasty retreat from Jordanian soil. By September 22, Arab foreign ministers meeting inCairo arranged a cease-fire beginning the following day. However, sporadic violence continued until Jordanian forces,led by Habis Al-Majali, with the help of Iraqi forces, won a decisive victory over the fedayeen on July 1971, expellingthem, and ultimately the PLO's Yasser Arafat, from Jordan.1973 Yom Kippur War:In 1973, allied Arab League forces attacked Israel in the Yom Kippur War, and fighting occurred along the 1967 JordanRiver cease-fire line. Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to attack Israeli units on Syrian territory but did not engage Israeliforces from Jordanian territory. At the Rabat summit conference in 1974, Jordan was now in a more secure positionto agree, along with the rest of the Arab League, that the PLO was the "sole legitimate representative of the [Arab]Palestinian people", thereby relinquishing to that organization its role as representative of the West Bank.The Amman Agreement of February 11, 1985, declared that the PLO and Jordan would pursue a proposed confed-eration between the state of Jordan and a Palestinian state. In 1988, King Hussein dissolved the Jordanian parliamentand renounced Jordanian claims to the West Bank. The PLO assumed responsibility as the Provisional Governmentof Palestine and an independent state was declared.Peace treaty with Israel:In 1991, Jordan agreed to participate in direct peace negotiations with Israel at the Madrid Conference, sponsoredby the US and the Soviet Union. It negotiated an end to hostilities with Israel and signed a declaration to that effecton 25 July 1994. As a result, an Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty was concluded on 26 October 1994. King Husseinwas later honored when his picture appeared on an Israeli postage stamp in recognition of the good relations he es-tablished with his neighbor. Since the signing of the peace treaty, the United States not only contributes hundreds ofmillions of dollars in an annual foreign aid stipend to Jordan, but also has allowed it to establish a free trade zone inwhich to manufacture goods that will enter the US without paying the usual import taxes as long as a percentage ofthe material used in them is purchased in Israel.The last major strain in Jordan's relations with Israel occurred in September 1997, when Israeli agents allegedly en-tered Jordan using Canadian passports and poisoned Khaled Meshal, a senior leader of Hamas. Israel provided anantidote to the poison and released dozens of political prisoners, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was assassi-nated in 2004 in the Gaza Strip.

Africa Day Africa Region - May 25

Africa Day is the annual commemoration on May 25of the 1963 founding of the Organisation of AfricanUnity (OAU). On this day, leaders of 30 of the 32 in-dependent African states signed a founding charterin Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 1991, the OAU estab-lished the African Economic Community, and in 2002the OAU established its own successor, the AfricanUnion. However, the name and date of Africa Dayhas been retained as a celebration of African unity.This years theme of Africa Day is "Africa and the Di-aspora." The New York celebration was held in NewYork City on May 31, 2011. In Nairobi, it was cele-brated at Uhuru Park Recreational Park. It shouldalso be noted that Africa Day is observed as a publicholiday in only three African countries, that is,Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. However, celebra-tions are held in some African countries, as well asby Africans in the diaspora.

Defence Forces DayHungary - M a y 2 1

Almost all countries of the world com-memorate their defence forces symbol-ized the sovereignty and self-defencecapability of the nation. In the lastdecades, in Hungary, members of the de-fence forces were celebrated in severalways. In 1940 a governing order declared28 June as the Day of Defence. Accordingto this regulation the Day of Defence was“the celebration of armed forces”, the cer-emonial display of the military spirit andthe internal power of the army in front of the nation. Since the 50’s until 1991, 29September was the Armed Forces Dayand National Defence Day. Since 1992,21 May is the Day of the Hungarian Na-tional Defence, this is the day of battle ofCastle Buda in 1849, when the HungarianArmy lead by General Artúr Görgey re-captured the capital from the troops leadby Austrian General Hentzi. (The Battle of Buda (Hungarian: "Budaostroma”) was a battle at Buda, Kingdomof Hungary during the Hungarian Revolu-tion of 1848-49 . It was part of the SpringCampaign between 4 and 21 May 1849and ended up with Hungarian victory.)From the memorials we have learned thatthe successful reoccupation of the BudaCastle was the ’crown’ of the glorious Spring Campaign, and the General Görgey had proven his excellent capabil-ities, when he managed to turn the poorly equipped Hungarian forces into an army within a short time. This battlewas the last step to make clear for the Habsburg Emperor that the Hungarians want to be independent. This victorycould symbolize the freedom of the country and would have provided a good discussion basis for the expectedpeace talks. Remembering for this unprecedented battle and victory, since 1992 we remember the heroes who linedup as soldiers under the tricolor of the nation on 21st May 1849, and faced death bravely, singing the national anthemwhile attacking the strongholds of the enemy.First and foremost, this day is the day of remembrance, a celebration in honor of the predecessors who had defendedtheir homeland heroically. Nevertheless, it also has to be mentioned that Hungarian soldiers – be it a contracted sol-dier, a professional serviceman, regardless of the location they are serving at, both within the boundaries of thecountry, and in an international mission – deserve all our respect.Contributed by: Attila Szántó

National Maritime Day - USM a y 2 2

National Maritime Day is a United States holiday created to recognize the maritime in-dustry. It is observed on May 22, the date that the American steamship Savannah setsail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power.The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933.

Biological Diversity DayW o r l d w i d e - M a y 2 2

The United Nations proclaimed May 22 The InternationalDay for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understand-ing and awareness of biodiversity issues. When first cre-ated by the Second Committee of the UN GeneralAssembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entryinto force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), wasdesignated The International Day for Biological Diversity.In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the textof the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi FinalAct of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This was partlydone because it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 De-cember, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.

World Turtle DayW o r l d w i d e - M a y 2 3

The purpose of World Turtle Day, May 23, sponsored yearlysince 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, is to bring attentionto, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tor-toises, and encourage human action to help them survive andthrive.Turtle Day is celebrated worldwide in a variety of ways, fromdressing up as turtles or wearing green summer dresses, to sav-ing turtles caught on highways, to research activities.

Promoting organizationsFounded in 1990, American Tortoise Rescue is the foundingsponsor of World Turtle Day. American Tortoise Rescue (ATR)is certified by state and federal agencies as a nonprofit501(c)(3)corporation to provide for the protection of all speciesof tortoise and turtle. Foundlings that cannot be adopted because of ill health remain in the care of American TortoiseRescue for the remainder of their lives.Featured in Chase’s Book of Annual Events Chase's Book of Annual Events, the day was created as an annual ob-servance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, founders of the rescue American Tortoise Rescue advocate humane treat-ment of all animals, including reptiles. Since 1990, ATR has placed about 3,000 tortoises and turtles in caring homes.ATR assists law enforcement when undersize or endangered turtles are confiscated and provides helpful informationand referrals to persons with sick, neglected or abandoned turtles.World Turtle Day was started to increase respect and knowledge for the world’s oldest creatures. These gentle an-imals have been around for about 200 million years, yet they are rapidly disappearing as a result of the exotic foodindustry, habitat destruction and the cruel pet trade.Adults and children can do a few small things that can help to save turtles and tortoises for the next generation.Never buy a turtle or tortoise from a pet shop as it increases demand from the wild. Never remove turtles or tortoisesfrom the wild unless they are sick or injured. If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the samedirection it was going – if you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again. Write letters to legislators askingthem to keep sensitive habitat preserved or closed to off road vehicles, and to prevent off shore drilling that can leadto more endangered sea turtle deaths. Report cruelty or illegal sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal con-trol shelter.• Report the sale of any turtle or tortoise of any kind less than four inches. This is illegal everywhere inthe U.S.In 2011, Jagex Games Studios hosted a number of events within their MMORPG, RuneScape, to celebrate WorldTurtle Day.

Battle of PichinchaEcuador - M a y 2 4

The Battle of Pichincha took place on 24 May1822, on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano,3,500 meters above sea-level, right next to the cityof Quito, in modern Ecuador.The encounter, fought in the context of the SpanishAmerican wars of independence, pitted a Patriotarmy under General Antonio José de Sucreagainst a Royalist army commanded by Field Mar-shal Melchor Aymerich. The defeat of the Royalistforces loyal to Spain brought about the liberationof Quito, and secured the independence of theprovinces belonging to the Real Audiencia deQuito, or Presidencia de Quito, the Spanish colo-nial administrative jurisdiction from which the Re-public of Ecuador would eventually emerge.

BackgroundThe military campaign for the independence of thePresidencia de Quito could be said to have begun on October 9, 1820, when the port-city of Guayaquil proclaimedits independence from Spanish rule after a quick and almost bloodless revolt against the local colonial garrison. Theleaders of the movement, a combination of Venezuelan and Peruvian pro-independence officers from the colonialarmy, along with local intellectuals and patriots, set up a governing council and raised a military force with the purposeof defending the city and carrying the independence movement to the other provinces in the country.By that time, the tide of the wars of independence in South America had turned decisively against Spain: SimónBolívar's victory at theBattle of Boyacá (August 7, 1819) had sealed the independence of the former Viceroyalty ofNueva Granada, while to the south, José de San Martín, having landed with his army on the Peruvian coast on Sep-tember, 1820, was preparing the campaign for the independence of the Viceroyalty of Perú.

AftermathWhile in the general context of the Wars of Independence, the Battle of Pichincha stands as a minor clash, both interms of its duration and the number of troops involved, its results were to be anything but insignificant. On May 25,1822, Sucre entered with his army in the city of Quito, where he accepted the surrender of all the Spanish forcesthen based in what the Colombian government called the "Department of Quito", considered by that Government asan integral part of the Republic of Colombia since its creation on December 17, 1819.Previously, when Sucre had recaptured Cuenca, on February 21, 1822, he had obtained from its local Council a de-cree by which it proclaimed the integration of the city and its province into the Republic of Colombia.Now, the surrender of Quito, which put and end to the Royalist resistance in the northern province of Pasto, allowedBolívar to finally come down to Quito, which he entered on June 16, 1822. Amid the general enthusiasm of the pop-ulation, the former Province of Quito was officially incorporated into the Republic of Colombia.One more piece to the puzzle remained, Guayaquil, still undecided about its future. The presence of Bolívar and thevictorious Colombian army in the city finally forced the hands of the Guayaquilenos, whose governing council pro-claimed the Province of Guayaquil as part of Colombia on July 13, 1822.Eight years later, in 1830, the three southern Departments of Colombia, Quito (now renamed Ecuador), Guayaquiland Cuenca, would secede from that country to constitute a new nation, which took the name of Republic of Ecuador.

Bermuda DayBermuda - M a y 2 4

Bermuda Day is a public holiday in the islands ofBermuda. Like certain other public holidays, it isalways celebrated on May 24, or the weekdaynearest May 24 if that date falls on the weekend.Bermuda Day is traditionally the first day that localresidents will go into the sea. It is also traditionallythe first day on which Bermuda shorts are worn asbusiness attire (although in recent years, Bermudashorts are increasingly worn at any time of theyear). Many people also see Bermuda Day as thefirst day on which they can go out on the waterafter the winter—consequently there is always arush to get one's boat 'in the water' just before May24.To celebrate the holiday, there is a parade inHamilton, and a road race from the west end of theisland into Hamilton. These events are very popu-lar as spectator events, and residents are knownto stake out particular sections of the pavementsto enable them to watch the runners and the floats. Ways of marking out your family's section can include roping itoff (frowned on as people have been hurt walking into such ropes the night before), marking it off with tape with yourname on it, or sleeping there overnight.

Commonwealth DayBelize - M a y 2 4

Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Com-monwealth of Nations held on the second Monday inMarch, and marked by a multi-faith service in WestminsterAbbey, normally attended by HM Queen Elizabeth II,Head of the Commonwealth, with the CommonwealthSecretary-General and Commonwealth High Commis-sioners in London. The Queen delivers an address to theCommonwealth, broadcast throughout the world. In the year before the quadrennial CommonwealthGames, the Queen starts the Queen's Baton Relay onCommonwealth Day at Buckingham Palace, handing thebaton to the first relay runner to start a journey that willend at the Opening Ceremony of the upcoming Games.While it has a certain official status, Commonwealth Dayis not a public holiday in most Commonwealth countriesand there is little public awareness of it.

HistoryClementina Trenholme introduced Empire Day in Cana-dian schools, first in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1898, on thelast school day before 24 May, Queen Victoria's birthday.It was celebrated more each year. A typical Empire Dayin Hamilton schools occupied the entire day and included inspira-tional speeches by trustees and songs such as The Maple Leaf For-ever and Just Before the Battle. Empire Day was instituted in theUnited Kingdom in 1904 by Lord Meath, and extended throughoutthe countries of the Commonwealth. This day was celebrated bylighting fireworks in back gardens or attending community bonfires.It gave the Queen's people a chance to show their pride in being partof the British Empire.In 1958 Empire Day was renamed Commonwealth Day, in accor-dance with the new post-colonial relationship between the nationsof the former empire.The National Council in Canada of the Royal Commonwealth Societyexpressed in a 1973 letter to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau thatCommonwealth Day should be observed on the same day through-out all countries of the Commonwealth. They asked that this notion be included on the agenda of CommonwealthHeads of Government Meeting to be held in Ottawa that year. The item eventually appeared on the agenda of the1975 meeting, and it was agreed that the Commonwealth Secretariat select a date, preferably one without previoushistorical connotations. At the meeting of officials in Canberra in 1976, the Canadian proposal of the second Mondayin March was adopted.

Sts. Cyrilus and Methodius DayMacedonia - M a y 2 4

The Canonization process was much morerelaxed in the decades following Cyril'sdeath than today. Cyril was regarded by hisdisciples as a saint following his death. Hisfollowing spread among the nations heevangelized and subsequently to the widerChristian Church, resulting in the renown ofhis holiness, along with that of his brotherMethodius. There were calls for Cyril's can-onization by the crowds lining the Romanstreets during his funeral procession. Theirfirst appearance in a papal document isGrande Munus by Leo XIII in 1880. Thebrothers are known as the "Apostles of theSlavs" and are still highly regarded by bothRoman Catholic and Orthodox Christians.Sts Cyril and Methodius' feast day is cur-rently celebrated on 14 February in theRoman Catholic Church (to coincide with thedate of St Cyril's death); on 11 May in theEastern Orthodox Church (though note thatfor Eastern Orthodox Churches still on theJulian Calendar or 'old calendar' this is 24May according to the Gregorian calendar);and on 7 July according to the old sanctoralcalendar that existed before the revisions ofthe Second Vatican Council. The celebrationalso commemorates the introduction of liter-acy and the preaching of the gospels in theSlavonic language by the brothers. Thebrothers were declared "Patrons of Europe"in 1980.According to old Bulgarian chronicles, theday of the holy brothers used to be celebrated ec-clesiastically as early as 11th century. The firstrecorded secular celebration of the Saints Cyriland Methodius Day as the "Day of the Bulgarianscript", as it is traditionally accepted by Bulgarianscience, was held in the town of Plovdiv on 11 May1851, when a local Bulgarian school was named"Saints Cyril and Methodius", both acts on initia-tive of the prominent Bulgarian enlightener Nay-den Gerov, although an Armenian travellermentioned his visit at "celebration of the Bulgarianscript" in the town of Shumen on 22 May 1803.The day is now celebrated as a public holiday inthe following countries:In Bulgaria it is celebrated on 24 May and isknown as the "Bulgarian Education and Culture,and Slavonic Literature Day" (Bulgarian: Ден набългарската просвета и култура и на славян-ската писменост), a national holiday celebratingBulgarian culture and literature as well as the alphabet. It is also known as "Alphabet, Culture, and Education Day"(Bulgarian: Ден на азбуката, културата и просвещението). SS Cyril and Methodius are patrons of the National Li-brary of Bulgaria. A monument of them is present in front of the library. SS Cyril and Methodius are the most cele-brated saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox church, and icons of two brothers can be found in every church.In the Republic of Macedonia, it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Saints Cyril and Methodius, SlavonicEnlighteners' Day" (Macedonian: Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на словенските просветители), a national holiday.The Government of the Republic of Macedonia took the decision for the statute of national holiday in October 2006and Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia passed a corresponding law at the beginning of 2007. Before that itwas celebrated only in the schools. It is also known as the day of the "SolunBrothers" (Macedonian: Солунскитебраќа).In Czech Republic and Slovakia, the two brothers were originally commemorated on 9 March, but Pope Pius IXchanged this date to 5 July for several reasons. Today, Saints Cyril and Methodius are worshipped there as nationalsaints and their name day (July 5), "Sts Cyril and Methodius Day" is a national holiday in Czech Republic and Slo-vakia. In Czech Republic it is celebrated on 5 July as "Slavic Missionaries Cyril and Methodius Day" (Czech: Denslovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a Metoděje), in Slovakia it is celebrated on 5 July as "St. Cyril and Metod Day" (Slovak:Sviatok svätého Cyrila a Metoda).In Russia, it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Slavonic Literature and Culture Day" (Russian: День сла-вянской письменности и культуры), celebrating Slavonic culture and literature as well as the alphabet. Its celebra-tion is ecclesiastical (11 May on the Church's Julian calendar), and it is not a public holiday in Russia.The saints' feast day is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 11 May and by the Roman Catholic Churchand the Anglican Communion on 14 February as "Saints Cyril and Methodius Day". The Lutheran Churches com-memorate the two saints either on 14 February or 11 May.

World Schizophrenia DayWorldwide - M a y 2 4

The World Schizophrenia Day is observed across the entire world on the 24th of May every year. This is the daywhen special efforts are taken to spread awareness about the disease, Schizophrenia. This disease impairs thebrains and leads to mental disorder ina person. The stigma of getting in-fected with Schizophrenia oftenforces people to hide their actual con-dition. To prevent this and help pa-tients tackle this illness effectively, thewhole world joins hands on the WorldSchizophrenia Day. The purpose is toeducate and make people aware ofthe disease and its recovery. The World Schizophrenia Day findsthe whole world voicing a similar con-cern for those infected with this healthcondition. This is to ensure thatSchizophrenia patients are takencare of and helped to lead a betterlife. So, on the World SchizophreniaDay, send a special card to your dearones to share your concern over thisdisease. Choose World Schizophre-nia Day cards which can best conveyyour message and encourage yourdear ones to spread awarenessabout this health condition.

The Roman Oval Piazza in the an-cient city of Jerash

Petra, one of the New Seven Won-ders of the World

Field marshal Habis Al-Majali and for-mer prime minister Wasfi Al-Tal

A handshake between Hussein I ofJordan and Yitzhak Rabin, accompa-nied by Bill Clinton, after signing theIsrael-Jordan Treaty of Peace, Octo-ber 26, 1994

National Missing Children's Day U.S. - May 25

National Missing Children's Day has been commem-orated on May 25 since 1983, when it was first pro-claimed by President Ronald Reagan.In the several years preceding the establishment ofNational Missing Children's day a series of high-pro-file missing-children cases made national headlines.On May 25, 1979, Etan Patz he was only six yearsold disappeared from a New York City street on hisway from bus to school. The date of Etan's disap-pearance was designated as National Missing Chil-dren's Day. At the time, cases of missing childrenrarely garnered national media attention, but Etan’scase quickly received a lot of coverage. His father, aprofessional photographer, distributed black-and-white photographs of Etan in an effort to find him. Theresulting massive search and media attention thatfollowed focused the public's attention on the prob-lem of child abduction and the lack of plans to ad-dress it.For almost three years media attention was focusedon Atlanta, Georgia, where the bodies of young children were discovered in lakes, marshes, and ponds along roadsidetrails. Twenty-nine bodies were recovered before a suspect was arrested and identified in 1981.

Organization ofAfrican Unity Day Africa - May 25

The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) (French: Organisation de l'UnitéAfricaine (OUA)) was established on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa, underthe signatory of 32 governments. It was disbanded on July 9, 2002 by itslastchairperson, South African President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced by theAfrican Union (AU).

Towel Day International - May 25

Towel Day is celebrated every 25 Mayas a tribute by fans of the late authorDouglas Adams. On this day, fans carrya towel with them to demonstrate theirlove for the books and the author, as re-ferred to in Adams' The Hitchhiker'sGuide to the Galaxy. The commemora-tion was first held in 2001, two weeksafter Adams' death on 11 May 2001.

RecognitionSeveral news sources around the worldhave mentioned Towel Day, includingthe major Norwegian newspaper Aften-posten and the television news showNRK Nyheter, and National PublicRadio, Los Angeles.In May 2010, an online petition was cre-ated asking Google to recognise TowelDay with either a Google Doodle or byreturning search results in the Vogonlanguage for a day.

National Tap Dance Day U.S. - May 25

National Tap Dance Day falls on May 25 every yearand is a celebration of tap dancing as an American artform. The idea of National Tap Dance Day was first pre-sented to U.S. Congress on September 15, 1988 andwas signed into American law by President GeorgeH.W. Bush on November 7, 1989. Tap Dance Day isalso celebrated in other countries, particularly Japan,Australia, India and Iceland.National Tap Dance Day was the brainchild of CarolVaughn, Nicola Daval, and Linda Christensen. Theydeemed May 25 appropriate for this holiday becauseit is the birthday of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, a signif-icant contributor to tap dance.Tap dance day can be celebrated with an event whichmay be organized by a studio or tap dance interestgroup. Some may also celebrate it individually due togeographical dispersion or lack of access to the widertap community. National Tap Dance Day is celebratedin many different ways. For example, a studio maysend people out onto the streets to teach the "ShimSham Shimmy" to passers-by. However, there are sev-eral cities (particularly in America) that have their ownperformances and events to coincide with Tap DanceDay.

Prince Fredrik's Birthday Denmark - May 26

Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Mon-pezat, RE, SKmd (Danish: Frederik André HenrikChristian, Kronprins af Danmark, Greve af Mon-pezat; born 26 May 1968) is the heir apparent to thethrone of Denmark. Frederik is the elder son ofQueen Margrethe II and Henrik, the Prince Consort.

Education and careerOn 14 January 1972 he became Crown Prince ofDenmark when his mother succeeded to the throneas Margrethe II.The Crown Prince attended elementary school atKrebs' Skole during the years 1974–1981, from1974–1976 as a private pupil at AmalienborgPalace, and from the third form atKrebs' Skole. Inthe period 1982–1983, the Crown Prince was aboarder at École des Roches in Normandy, France.In 1986, Crown Prince Frederik graduated from theupper secondary school of Øregaard Gymnasium.In 1989, the Crown Prince began to study for an ac-ademic degree, when he began a course in PoliticalScience at University of Aarhus. This included ayear at Harvard University (1992–1993) under thename of Frederik Henriksen, studying political sci-ence. He then took up a position for three monthswith the Danish UN mission in New York in 1994. In1995 Crown Prince Frederik obtained his MA de-gree in Political Science fromUniversity of Aarhus.He completed the course in the prescribed numberof years with an exam result above average. Hisfinal paper was an analysis on the foreign policy ofthe Baltic States, which he had visited several timesduring his studies. The Crown Prince was postedas First Secretary to the Danish Embassy in Parisfrom October 1998 to October 1999.He has completed extensive military studies andtraining in all three services, notably completing ed-ucation as a sailor in the naval elite special opera-tions forces (members of this are known as frogmenor frømænd in Danish). His frogman nickname is"Pingo".In the period 2001 and 2002, the Crown Princecompleted further training for leaders at the RoyalDanish Defence College. Crown Prince Frederik re-mains active in the defence, and in the period 2002–2003 served as a staff officer at Defence Command Denmark,and from 2003 as a senior lecturer with the Institute of Strategy at the Royal Danish Defence College.Military service:• The Royal Life Guard 1986.• Lieutenant in the Reserve (Army) 1988.• Reconnaissance Platoon Commander with the Royal

Guard Hussars’ Regiment 1988.• First Lieutenant in the Reserve (Army) 1989.• Royal Danish Navy Frømandskorpset 1995 (equivalent

to the Royal Navy Special Boat Service, or US NavySEALs).• First Lieutenant in the Reserve (Navy) 1995.• Captain in the Reserve (Army) 1997.• Lieutenant Commander in the Reserve (Navy) 1997.• Royal Danish Air Force Flying School 2000• Captain in the Reserve (Air Force) 2000.• Command and General Staff Course, Royal Danish De-fence College 2001-2002.• Commander (Navy) and Major (Army, Air Force) 2002.• Staff Officer, Defence Command Denmark 2002-2003.• Senior lecturer with the Institute of Strategy at the Royal

Danish Defence College, 2003-.• Commander, senior grade (Navy), lieutenant colonel (Air

force, Army) 2004.• Captain (Navy), Colonel (Air Force, Army) 2010.

Marriage and childrenIn the Council of State on 8 October 2003, Queen Margrethe gave her consent to the marriage of Crown Prince Fred-erik to Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian marketing consultant whom the prince met when he was attendingthe Sydney Olympics in 2000. The wedding took place on 14 May 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen.On 25 April 2005 the Danish royal court announced that Crown Princess Mary was pregnant with the couple's firstchild, and on 15 October 2005 she gave birth to a Prince. As it is a tradition in the Royal House that kings are namedFrederik or Christian in alternating order, the baby was baptised Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John on 21 January2006.On 26 October 2006, the Danish court announced that the Crown Princess was pregnant with her second child. On21 April 2007, The Crown Princess gave birth to a baby daughter at Copenhagen University Hospital, the first Danishprincess born since 1946. The Crown Prince was at his wife's side the entire time. Their daughter was christenedPrincessIsabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe on 1 July 2007.The Crown Princess gave birth to Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander at 10:30 am local time (weight 2.674 kg(5 lb 14 oz), length: 47 cm (18 in.), and Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda at 10:56 am (weight: 2.554 kg (5lb 10 oz), length: 46 cm (18 in.) on 8 January 2011. The names were made public at their christening on Thursday,14 April 2011, which took place at the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen.

Areas of interestScientific research, climate change and sustainability:Frederik has a special interest in scientific research, climate change and sustainability. The Prince was interviewedby Financial Times and CNN International, in the Future Cities program, for their commitment to sustainability. Heparticipated in expeditions, forums and events on climate. The prince has represented Denmark as a promoter ofsustainable Danish energy. The prince was one of the authors of the Polartokt Kongelig (Polar Cruise Royal), aboutthe challenges of climate, published in 2009 with a preface written by Kofi Annan. In 2010, wrote the book's forewordNaturen og klimaændringerne i Nordøstgrønland (The nature and climate change in Greenland). Supports scientificresearch projects, as a patron, as expeditionary, with regular attendance at events and through his foundation, Kro-nprins Frederiks Fond.Sports and Health:The Prince encourages Danish participation in sports. He is a patron and honorary member of various sports orga-nizationsand a member of the International Olympic Committee. He also promotes an active lifestyle in society.Frederik is an avid sportsman, running marathons in Copenhagen, New York and Paris, and completing the 42 kilo-meters with a respectable time of 3 hours, 22 minutes and 50 seconds in the Copenhagen Marathon. Frederik is akeen sailor, being a competitive Farr 40 skipper as well as an accomplished Dragon sailor. He won victories and wasa leader in the steps championships. He finished in fourth place in the European Championship Dragon Class 2003(with 51 boats participating), and at number 4 in the Farr 40 Worlds 2008 (with 33 boats participating). He was thefirst in his class boat inFyn Cup 2010 in Denmark, and at number 2 in the Dragon DM 2011 (with 25 boats participat-ing).

Crown Prince Frederik’s FoundationThe purpose of the foundation is to provide financial assistance to students of social policy and sciences, for oneyear’s study at Harvard. and provide financial support for scientific expeditions, particularly to foreign parts of theworld, including Greenland and the Faeroe Islands and sports purposes, including those with a particularly social as-pect.

Patronages• Aarhus University Male Choir• Copenhagen International Furniture Fair• Danish Deaf Association• Danish Design Center• Danish Railway Museum in Odense• Juullip Nipitittagaa / The Greenlandic Christmas-Seal Foundation• Odense International Film Festival• Plant a Tree• Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus• Royal Awards for Sustainability• Save the Children Fund• The Anders Lassen Foundation• The Association of Fine Arts (Kunstforeningen GL

STRAND)• The Associations of the Guard Hussars• The Blood Donors in Denmark• The Cabinetmakers’ Autumn Exhibition• The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland• The Danish Association of the Hard of Hearing• The Danish Dyslexia Organisation• The Danish Military Sports Association• The Danish National Committee of United World Col

leges• The Danish Naval Officers' Club• The Danish Pleasure Crafts Safety Board• The Danish Tennis Association• The Foreign Policy Society• The Georg Jensen Prize• The Greenlandic Society• The Naval-Lieutenant-Society• The Soldiers’ Grant

Honorary tasks• President of The Royal Danish Geographical Society• Honorary Vice-President of The Siam Society in Thailand• Patron for Danish Red Cross• Member of ISAF's (International Sailing Federation) Events Committee• Member of IOC (International Olympic Committee)• Member of Young Global Leaders

Titles, styles, honours and armsTitles and styles:• 26 May 1968 – 14 January 1972: His Royal Highness Prince Frederik of Denmark• 14 January 1972 – 29 April 2008: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Denmark• 29 April 2008 – present: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of MonpezatHis official title in Danish is Hans Kongelige Højhed Kronprins Frederik til Danmark, Greve af Monpezat. If he succeedsto the throne and uses his first given name as his regnal name, he would be known as Frederik X. But if he uses hislast given name, he'll be known as Christian XI.Danish honours and decorations:He has a number of decorations, the most notable of which are:• Knight of the Order of the Elephant (R.E.)• Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog (S.Kmd.)• Silver Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog• The Silver Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (accession to the Danishthrone)• Commemorative 70th Birthday Medal of Her Majesty The Queen (Em.16.apr.2010.)Foreign decorations:• Belgium : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold• Brazil : Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross of Brazil• Brazil : Grand Cross of the Order of the Rio Branco of Brazil• Bulgaria : Order of Stara Planina, 1st Class, of Bulgaria• Estonia : Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class, of Estonia• Finland : Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland• Germany : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany• Greece : Grand Cross of the Order of Honour of Greece• Iceland : Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon• Italy : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic• Japan : Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum• Jordan : Grand Cordon of the Order of the Renaissance of Jordan• Latvia : Grand Officer of the Order of the Three Stars• Luxembourg : Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau • Nepal : Grand Cross of the Order of Ojaswi Rajanya of Nepal• Norway : Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav• Romania : Grand Cross rank of the Order of the Star of Romania• Sweden : Knight of the Order of the Seraphim• Thailand : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao

The Crown Prince in Vágur, FaroeIslands, on 21 June 2005.

Arms of Crown Prince Frederik

Independence Day Georgia - May 26

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Cau-casus region of Eurasia. Located at thecrossroads ofWestern Asia and EasternEurope, it is bounded to the west by theBlack Sea, to the north by Russia, to thesouth by Turkey and Armenia, and to thesoutheast by Azerbaijan. The capital ofGeorgia is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a terri-tory of 69,700 km² and its population isalmost 4.7 million. Georgia is a unitary,semi-presidential republic, with the gov-ernment elected through a representativedemocracy.During the classical era independentkingdoms became established in what isnow Georgia. The kingdoms of Colchisand Iberia adopted Christianity in theearly 4th century. A unified Georgiareached the peak of its political and eco-nomic strength during the reign of KingDavid IV and Queen Tamar in the 11th–12th centuries. At the beginning of the19th century, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire. After a brief period of independence following the RussianRevolution of 1917, Georgia was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1921, becoming the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republicand part of the Soviet Union. After independence in 1991, post-communist Georgia suffered from civil unrest andeconomic crisis for most of the 1990s. This lasted until the Rose Revolution of 2003, after which the new governmentintroduced democratic and economic reforms.Georgia is a member of the Council of Europe and the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Develop-ment. It contains two de facto independent regions, Abkhazia andSouth Ossetia, which gained limited internationalrecognition after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Georgia considersthe regions to be part of its sovereign territory under Russian militaryoccupation.

EtymologyEthnic Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi(ქართველები), their landSakartvelo(საქართველო – meaning "a land of Kartvelians"), and theirlanguage Kartuli(ქართული). According to the ancientGeorgianChronicles, the ancestor of theKartvelians was Kartlos, the greatgrandson of the Biblical Japheth. The name Sakartvelo(საქართველო)consists of two parts. Its root,kartvel-i (ქართველ-ი), specifies an in-habitant of the core central-eastern Georgian region ofKartli, or Iberiaas it is known in sources of Eastern Roman Empire. AncientGreeks(Strabo, Herodotus, Plutarch, Homer, etc.) and Romans (TitusLivius, Tacitus, etc.) referred to early eastern Georgians as Iberians(Iberoi in some Greek sources) and western Georgians as Colchians.The terms "Georgia" and "Georgian" appeared in Western Europe innumerous early medieval annals. At the time, the name was folk ety-mologized – for instance, by the French chronicler Jacques de Vitry and the compiler John Mandeville – from Geor-gians' especial reverence of Saint George. Another theory, popularized by the likes of Jean Chardin, semanticallylinked "Georgia" to Greek andLatin roots, respectively, γεωργός ("tiller of the land") and georgicus ("agricultural").The supporters of this explanation sometimes referred to classical authors, in particular Pliny and Pomponius Mela,who wrote of "Georgi" tribes, which were named so to distinguish them from their unsettled and pastoral neighbors.According to some scholars, "Georgia" could have been borrowed in the 11th or 12th century from the Syriac gurz-ān or -iyān and Arabic ĵurĵan or ĵurzan, derived from the New Persian gurğ or gurğān.

HistoryPrehistory:The territory of modern-day Georgia has been inhabited by Homoerectus since the Paleolithic Era. The proto-Georgian tribes first ap-pear in written history in the 12th century BC. Archaeological finds andreferences in ancient sources reveal elements of early political andstate formations characterized by advanced metallurgy and goldsmithtechniques that date back to the 7th century BC and beyond.Antiquity:The classic period saw the rise of the early Georgian states Diaokhi(XIII BC) of Colchis(VIII BC), of Sper (VII BC) and of Iberia (VI BC). Inthe 4th century BC a unified kingdom of Georgia—an early exampleof advanced state organization under one king and an aristocratic hi-erarchy—was established.The two early Georgian kingdoms of late antiquity, known to Greco-Roman historiography as Iberia (Georgian: იბერია) (in the east of thecountry) and Colchis(Georgian: კოლხეთი) (in the west), were among the first nations in the region to adopt Christi-anity (in AD 337, or in AD 319 as recent research suggests). In Greek mythology, Colchis was the location of theGolden Fleece sought by Jason and theArgonauts in Apollonius Rhodius' epic tale Argonautica. The incorporation ofthe Golden Fleece into the myth may have derived from the local practice of using fleeces to sift gold dust from rivers.Known to its natives as Egrisi or Lazica, Colchis was also the battlefield of the Lazic War fought between ByzantineEmpire and Persia.After the Roman Empire completed its conquest of the Caucasus region in 66 BC, the Georgian kingdoms wereRoman client states and allies for nearly 400 years. In 337 AD King Mirian III declared Christianity as the state religion,giving a great stimulus to the development of literature, arts, and ultimately playing a key role in the formation of theunified Georgian nation. King Mirian III's acceptance of Christianity effectively tied the kingdom to the neighboringEastern Roman Empire which exerted a strong influence on Georgia for nearly a millennium, determining much of itspresent cultural identity.Middle Ages:The early kingdoms disintegrated into various feudal regions by the early Middle Ages. This made it easy forArabs toconquer most of eastern Georgia in the 7th century. The various independent regions would not be united into asingle Georgian Kingdom until the beginning of the 11th century.Although Arabs captured the capital city of Tbilisi in AD 645, Kartli-Iberia retained considerable independence underlocal Arab rulers. In AD 813 the prince Ashot I – also known as Ashot Kurapalat – became the first of the Bagrationifamily to rule the kingdom. Ashot's reign began a period of nearly 1,000 years during which the Bagrationi, as thehouse was known, ruled at least part of what is now the republic.Bagrat III (r. 1027–72) united western and eastern Georgia. In the next century, David IV (called the Builder, r. 1089–1125) initiated the Georgian golden age by driving the Seljuk Turks from the country and expanding Georgian culturaland political influence southward into Armenia and eastward to the Caspian Sea.The Georgian Kingdom reached its zenith in the 12th to early 13th centuries. This period has been widely termed asGeorgia's Golden Age or Georgian Renaissance during the reigns of David the Builder and Queen Tamar. This earlyGeorgian renaissance, which preceded its West European analogue, was characterized by the flourishing of roman-tic-chivalric tradition, breakthroughs in philosophy, and an array of political innovations in society and state organiza-tion, including religious and ethnic tolerance.The Golden age of Georgia left a legacy of great cathedrals, romantic poetry and literature, and the epic poem "TheKnight in the Panther's Skin". David the Builder is popularly considered to be the greatest and most successful Geor-gian ruler in history. He succeeded in driving the Seljuks out of the country, winning the major Battle of Didgori in1121. His reforms of the army and administration enabled him to reunite the country and bring most lands of the Cau-casus under Georgia's control.David the Builder's granddaughter Tamar succeeded in neutralizing opposition and embarked on an energetic foreignpolicy aided by the downfall of the rival powers of the Seljuks and Byzantium. Supported by a powerful military élite,Tamar was able to build on the successes of her predecessors to consolidate an empire which dominated the Cau-casus, and extended over large parts of present-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, and eastern Turkey, until its collapse underthe Mongol attacks within two decades after Tamar's death.The revival of the Georgian Kingdom was set back after Tbilisi was captured and destroyed by the Khwarezmianleader Jalal ad-Din in 1226. The Mongols were expelled by George V of Georgia, son ofDemetrius II of Georgia, whowas named "Brilliant" for his role in restoring the country's previous strength and Christian culture. George V was thelast great king of the unified Georgian state. After his death, different local rulers fought for their independence fromcentral Georgian rule, until the total disintegration of the Kingdom in the 15th century. Georgia was further weakenedby several disastrous invasions byTamerlane. Invasions continued, giving the Kingdom no time for restoration, withboth Black and Whitesheep Turkomans constantly raiding it's southern provinces. As a result, Georgian Kingdomcollapsed into anarchy by 1466 and fragmented into three independent Kingdoms and five semi-independent princi-palities. Neighboring empires exploited the internal division of the weakened country, and beginning in the 16th cen-tury, the Persian Empire and the Ottoman Empire subjugated the eastern and western regions of Georgia,respectively.The rulers of regions which remained partly autonomous organized rebellions on various occasions. However, sub-sequent Persian and Ottoman invasions further weakened local kingdoms and regions. As a result of incessant warsthe population of Georgia dwindled from 5 million in the 13th century to 250,000 inhabitants at the end of the 18thcentury. Eastern Georgia, composed of the regions of Kartliand Kakheti, had been under Persian suzerainty since1555. With the death of Nader Shah in 1747, both kingdoms broke free of Persian control and were reunified througha personal union under the energetic king Heraclius II in 1762.Georgia in the Russian Empire:In 1783, Russia and the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, which recog-nized the bond of Orthodox Christianity between Russian and Georgian people and promised eastern Georgia pro-tection. However, despite this commitment to defend Georgia, Russia rendered no assistance when the Turks andPersians invaded in 1785 and in 1795, completely devastating Tbilisi and massacring its inhabitants. This period cul-minated in the 1801 Russian violation of the Treaty of Georgievsk and annexation of eastern Georgia, followed bythe abolishment of the royal Bagrationi dynasty, as well as the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church. PyotrBagration, one of the descendants of the abolished house of Bagrationi would later join the Russian army and riseto be a general by the Napoleonic wars.On December 22, 1800, Tsar Paul I of Russia, at the alleged request of the Georgian King George XII, signed theproclamation on the incorporation of Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti) within the Russian Empire, which was finalized by adecree on January 8, 1801, and confirmed by Tsar Alexander I on September 12, 1801. The Georgian envoy in SaintPetersburg reacted with a note of protest that was presented to the Russian vice-chancellor Prince Kurakin. In May1801, under the oversight of GeneralCarl Heinrich Knorring Imperial Russia transferred power in eastern Georgia tothe government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lasarev. The Georgian nobility did not accept the decree untilApril 1802 when General Knorring compassed the nobility in Tbilisi's Sioni Cathedral and forced them to take an oathon the Imperial Crown of Russia. Those who disagreed were temporarily arrested.In the summer of 1805, Russian troops on the Askerani River near Zagam defeated the Persian army and savedTbilisi from conquest now that it was officially part of the Imperial territories.Following the annexation of eastern Georgia, the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti was annexed by Tsar Alexan-der I of Russia. The last Imeretian king and the last Georgian Bagrationi ruler Solomon II died in exile in 1815. From1803 to 1878, as a result of numerous Russian wars against the Ottoman Empire, several of Georgia's previouslylost territories – such as Adjara – were recovered. The principality of Guria was abolished and incorporated into theEmpire in 1828, and that of Megrelia in 1857. The region of Svaneti was gradually annexed in 1857–59.Declaration of independence:After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia declared independence on May 26, 1918 in the midst of the RussianCivil War. The parliamentary election was won by the MenshevikGeorgian Social-Democratic Party. Its leader, NoeZhordania, became prime minister.In 1918 the Georgian–Armenian War erupted over parts of Georgian provinces populated mostly by Armenians whichended because of British intervention. In 1918–19 Georgian general Giorgi Mazniashvili led a Georgian attack againstthe White Army led by Moiseev and Denikin in order to claim the Black Sea coastline from Tuapse to Sochi and Adlerfor independent Georgia. The country's independence did not last long. Georgia was under British protection from1918–1920.Georgia in the Soviet Union:In February 1921 Georgia was attacked by the Red Army. The Geor-gian army was defeated and the Social-Democrat government fled thecountry. On February 25, 1921 the Red Army entered the capital Tbilisiand installed a Moscow directed communist government, led by Geor-gian BolshevikFilipp Makharadze.Nevertheless the Soviet rule was firmly established only after a 1924revolt was brutally suppressed. Georgia was incorporated into theTranscaucasian SFSR uniting Georgia,Armenia and Azerbaijan. TheTSFSR was disaggregated into its component elements in 1936 andGeorgia became theGeorgian SSR.Joseph Stalin, an ethnic Georgian, was prominent among the Bolshe-viks, who came to power in the Russian Empire after the October Rev-olution in 1917. Stalin was to rise to the highest position of theSovietstate.From 1941 to 1945, during World War II, almost 700,000 Georgiansfought in the Red Army against Nazi Germany. (A number also foughton the German side.) About 350,000 Georgians died in the battlefields of the Eastern Front.On April 9, 1989, a peaceful demonstration in the Georgian capital Tbilisi ended up with several people being killedby Soviet troops. Before the October 1990 elections to the national assembly, the Umaghlesi Sabcho (SupremeCouncil) – the first polls in the USSR held on a formal multi-party basis – the political landscape was reshaped again.While the more radical groups boycotted the elections and convened an alternative forum (the National Congress)with alleged support of Moscow, another part of the anticommunist opposition united into the Round Table—FreeGeorgia (RT-FG) around the former dissidents like Merab Kostava andZviad Gamsakhurdia.The latter won the elections by a clear margin, with 155 out of 250 parliamentary seats, whereas the ruling CommunistParty (CP) received only 64 seats. All other parties failed to get over the 5%-threshold and were thus allotted onlysome single-member constituency seats.Georgia after restoration of independence:On April 9, 1991, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia declared independence. On May 26, 1991,Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected as a first President of independent Georgia. Gamsakhurdia stoked Georgian na-tionalism and vowed to assert Tbilisi's authority over regions such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia that had beenclassified as autonomous oblasts under the Soviet Union.He was soon deposed in a bloody coup d'état, from December 22, 1991 to January 6, 1992. The coup was instigatedby part of the National Guards and a paramilitary organization called "Mkhedrioni" or "horsemen". The country becameembroiled in a bitter civil war which lasted almost until 1995.Eduard Shevardnadze returned to Georgia in 1992 andjoined the leaders of the coup — Kitovani and Ioseliani — to head a triumvirate called "The State Council".In 1995, Shevardnadze was officially elected as president of Georgia. At the same time, simmering disputes withintwo regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, between local separatists and the majority Georgian populations,erupted into widespread inter-ethnic violence and wars. Supported by Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with theexception of some "pockets" of territory, achievedde facto independence from Georgia.Roughly 230,000 to 250,000 Georgians were expelled from Abkhazia by Abkhaz separatists and North Caucasianvolunteers (including Chechens) in 1992–1993. Around 23,000 Georgians fled South Ossetia as well, and many Os-setian families were forced to abandon their homes in theBorjomi region and moved to Russia.In 2003, Shevardnadze (who won reelection in 2000) was deposed by the Rose Revolution, after Georgian oppositionand international monitors asserted that the November 2 parliamentary elections were marred by fraud. The revolutionwas led by Mikheil Saakashvili,Zurab Zhvania and Nino Burjanadze, former members and leaders of Shevardnadze'sruling party. Mikheil Saakashvili was elected as President of Georgia in 2004.Following the Rose Revolution, a series of reforms were launched to strengthen the country's military and economiccapabilities. The new government's efforts to reassert Georgian authority in the southwestern autonomous republicof Ajaria led to a major crisis early in 2004. Success in Ajaria encouraged Saakashvili to intensify his efforts, butwithout success, in breakaway South Ossetia.These events, along with accusations of Georgian involvement in the Second Chechen War, resulted in a severe de-terioration ofrelations with Russia, fuelled also by Russia's open assistance and support to the two secessionist areas.Despite these increasingly difficult relations, in May 2005 Georgia and Russia reached a bilateral agreement by whichRussian military bases (dating back to the Soviet era) in Batumi and Akhalkalaki were withdrawn. Russia withdrewall personnel and equipment from these sites by December 2007 while failing to withdraw from the Gudauta base inAbkhazia which it was required to vacate after the adoption of Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treatyduring the 1999 Istanbul summit.2008 military conflict with Russia:2008 saw a military conflict between Georgia on one side, with Russia and the separatist republics of South Ossetiaand Abkhazia on the other. In response to the shelling of Georgian towns around South Ossetia, supposedly by SouthOssetian militias well equipped with Russian military supplies, Georgia massed military forces near the region. Russiaalso massed larger military forces near the border with South Ossetia. On August 7, Georgian forces began a massiveartillery attack on the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, which started after months-long clashes between Georgianpolice and peacekeepers, and Ossetian militia and Russian peacekeepers. On early August 8, Georgian Army infantryand tanks, supported by Interior Ministry commandos, began pushing into South Ossetia, supported by artillery andmultiple rocket launcher fire and Su-25 strike aircraft. After several hours of fierce fighting, Georgia had captured nu-merous villages throughout South Ossetia, and had captured almost all of Tskhinvali from Ossetian militia and Russianpeacekeepers. A Russian peacekeepers' base stationed in South Ossetia was shelled, and personnel were killed.Units of the Russian58th Army, supported by irregular forces, subsequently entered South Ossetia through the Russ-ian-controlled Roki Tunnel, and a three-day battle left the city of Tskhinvali heavily devastated. Georgian forces weredriven out of South Ossetia, and Georgian villages were burned by Ossetian militia to prevent refugees from returning.The Russian Air Force launched a series of coordinated airstrikesagainst Georgian forces in South Ossetia, and mul-tiple targets inside Georgia proper, but met heavy resistance from Georgian air defenses. The Georgian Air Forcealso managed to carry out air attacks on Russian troops throughout most of the battle. At the same time, the separatistRepublic of Abkhazia launched an offensive against Georgian troops in the Kodori Valley with the support of Russianparatroopers, marines, and naval forces. Georgian troops offered minimal resistance and withdrew Russian para-troopers launched raids against military bases in Senaki, Georgia, from Abkhazia. The Russian Navy stationed atask force of sixteen ships off the coast of Abkhazia, and in a brief naval skirmish with Georgian missile boats andgunboats, sank a Georgian Coast Guard cutter.Following their defeat in South Ossetia, Georgian forces regrouped at Gori with heavy artillery. Russian forces crossedinto Georgia proper, and all Georgian forces retreated toTbilisi, leaving some military equipment behind. Russianforces entered the city and occupied numerous villages completely unopposed. Irregulars such as Ossetians,Chechens and Cossacks followed and were reported looting, killing and burning. Russian troops removed militaryequipment abandoned by retreating Georgian troops in Gori, and also occupied the port city of Poti, where they sankseveral naval and coast guard vessels moored in the harbor, and removed captured military equipment, includingfour Humvees. Georgia lost a total of 150 pieces of military equipment (including 65 tanks), 1,728 small arms, and 4naval vessels during the war.On August 12, President Medvedev announced an intent to halt further Russian military operations in Georgia. Russ-ian troops withdrew from Gori and Poti, but remained in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which it recognized as inde-pendent countries. Georgia, on the contrary, considers those territories to be under Russian occupation. Russia alsocreated temporary checkpoints in several locations inside Georgia, but gradually withdrew from them.Because of the intensive fighting in South Ossetia there were many disputed reports about the number of casualtieson both sides, which targets had fallen under aerial attacks, the status of troop movements, and the most current lo-cation of the front line between the Georgian and Russian-Ossetian combat units. South Ossetian and Russian offi-cials claimed the Georgian Army was responsible for killing 2,000, and later 1,400 South Ossetian civilians. Theseallegations have not been substantiated, and Human Rights Watch and European Union investigators in South Os-setia accused Russia of exaggerating the scale of such casualties. The actual death toll, according to the RussianProsecutor's Office, is 162. Another 150 South Ossetian militiamen were also killed. Russian casualties totalled 67dead or missing, and 323 wounded. Abkhaz forces lost 1 dead and 2 wounded. Georgian military casualties totaled170 dead or missing, 1,964 wounded, and 42 taken prisoner. Georgian civilian casualties stand at 228, with a totalof 12 police officers killed or missing. A Dutch journalist, Stan Storimans, was also killed.

Coat of Arms

It is said that Georgians werenamed because they reveredSaint George.

Georgian girl holding a poster andcandles during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War

Independence Day Guyana - May 26

Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana,is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South Americathat is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyanawas a former colony of the Dutch and (for over 200 years)the British. It is the only state of theCommonwealth of Na-tions on mainland South America, and the only one on thatcontinent where English is an official language. It is also amember of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), whichhas its secretariat headquarters in Guyana'scapital,Georgetown. Guyana achieved independence fromthe United Kingdom on 26 May 1966, and became a repub-lic on 23 February 1970. In 2008 the country joined theUnion of South American Nations as a founding member.Historically, the region known as "Guiana" or "Guyana" com-prised the large shield landmass north of the Amazon Riverand east of the Orinoco River known as the "Land of manywaters". Historical Guyana is made up of three Dutch colonies: Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice. Modern Guyanais bordered to the east by Suriname, to the south and southwest by Brazil, to the west by Venezuela, and on thenorth by theAtlantic Ocean.At 215,000 km2, Guyana is the third-smallest independent state on the mainland of South America (after Uruguayand Suriname). Its population is approximately 770,000.

EtymologyThe name "Guyana" is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that now includes Guyana, Suriname,French Guiana, and parts of Venezuela and Brazil. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name comes froman American Indian word meaning "land of many waters".

HistoryGuyana was inhabited by the Arawak and Carib tribes of Native Americans. AlthoughChristopher Columbus sightedGuyana during his third voyage (in 1498), the Dutch were the first to establish colonies: Essequibo (1616), Berbice(1627), and Demerara (1752). The British assumed control in the late 18th century, and the Dutch formally ceded thearea in 1814. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana.Since Independence in 1824, Venezuela has claimed the area of land to the west of the Essequibo river. Letters fromSimon Bolivar warned the British government about the Berbice and Demerara settlers settling on land the Venezue-lans claimed was theirs. In 1899 an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to Great Britain.Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republicon 23 February1970, remaining a member of theCommonwealth. The US State Department and the US Central Intelligence Agency(CIA), along with the British government, played a strong role in influencing political control in Guyana during thistime. The American government supported Forbes Burnham during the early years of independence because CheddiJaganwas a self-declared Marxist. They provided secret financial support and political campaign advice to Burnham'sPeople's National Congress to the detriment of the Jagan-led People's Progressive Party, mostly supported byGuyanese of Indian descent.In 1978, Guyana received considerable international attention when 918 members, almost entirely American, (morethan 300 of whom were children) of the Jim Jones-led Peoples Temple died in a mass murder/suicide in Jonestown– a settlement created by the Peoples Temple. An attack by Jim Jones' bodyguards at a small remote airstrip closeto Jonestown resulted in the murder of five people, including Leo Ryan, the only congressman ever murdered in theline of duty in US history.In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo was a signatory to The UNASUR Constitutive Treatyof the Union of SouthAmerican Nations. Guyana has ratified the treaty.

P r e d i c t a b l e a n d p l a n n a b l e2 0 1 3 b u d g e t r e q u i r e d , O r b a n

(Online 14May) PrimeMinister ViktorOrbán stressedafter the 14May 2012 fac-tion meeting ofthe governingFidesz-KDNPalliance thatP a r l i a m e n tmust remain insession untilmid-July underany circum-stances be-cause thesituation in Eu-rope may re-quire decisionswhich may in-volve Parlia-ment. At themeeting, thePrime Ministeralso proposeda new Fidesz faction leader in theperson of Antal Rogán.At the meeting, Viktor Orbán said wemust be prepared for the eventualitythat the European economy will con-tinue to remain unpredictable also inthe months to come. He referred tothe situation in Greece, and also tothe uncertainty in France. The Prime Minister therefore drewthe attention of government-partyMPs to the fact that the outlines of the2013 budget must be prepared by themiddle of the summer, and conse-quently, only part-decisions will be re-quired within the larger units of thebudget in September. He said theywill attempt to create a predictable

and plannable budget for the Hungar-ian economy, as far as permitted bythe current circumstances in Europe. The Prime Minister hopes that thenew economic system that has beenbuilt in Hungary for the past two yearsas an ongoing process and has sta-bilised the Hungarian financial situa-tion will, on the whole, be able torender a better performance thanmany would believe. At the sametime, we must be cautious; we shouldlay down plans over-secured twiceover as the crisis in Europe demandsthat every country pursue a prudent,conservative planning philosophy. Heconfirmed, nonetheless that if extrarevenues emerge, they would like touse these for the reduction of the

public burdens,taxes and con-tributions en-cumbering livelabour. We can-not, however,speak aboutany suchmeasures be-fore the end ofSeptember orbeginning ofOctober as onecannot foreseethe economicprocesses de-termining thewhole of theyear anysooner than inOctober. As regards thenego t ia t i onswith the Inter-national Mone-tary Fund (IMF)

and the European Union, the PrimeMinister stressed the Hungarian Gov-ernment is committed to starting thenegotiations and would like to bringthem to a successful closure as soonas possible. He expects MihályVarga, the new leader of the IMF ne-gotiations to mediate the economiccriteria, with regard to which changesmay be required in Hungary’s eco-nomic policy. Viktor Orbán informed government-party MPs of the changes in the Gov-ernment and in the faction leadership,and proposed Antal Rogán as thenew Fidesz faction leader who will re-place János Lázár appointed to headthe Prime Minister’s Office.

HUNGARYTa m á s F e l l e g i : I M F a g r e e m e n t s

e x p e c t e d i n t h e a u t u m n(Online 18May) TamásFellegi, outgo-ing chief nego-tiator withfinancial or-gan isat ions,announced ata Budapest fi-nancial summiton Thursdaythat IMF/EUnegot ia t ionscan start inJuly, with ane x p e c t e dagreement inthe autumn.Mr. Fellegi saidthat certainsectors of theH u n g a r i a neconomy wereexperiencingserious difficul-ties; he saidthat they mustbe able tomaintain a bal-ance of incomeand expendi-ture. Financingof the econ-omy has de-creased inHungary and itis the Hungar-ian Govern-ment’s task toensure an in-crease in this,but many ex-ternal factorsmust also betaken into ac-count. Mr. Fel-l e g iemphas i sedthat for thisreason theIMF/EU agree-

ment is of out-standing impor-tance.In parallel withpreparat ionsfor talks Hun-gary must up-date itsconvergencep r o g r a m m e ,said the outgo-ing chief nego-tiator. He alsosaid thatECOFIN willdecide on thee x c e s s i v edeficit proce-dure on 22June.Mr. Fellegi saidthat ’In relationto agreements,it is importantto maintainc o n t i n u o u scontact withmarket players.All key playersmust be madeaware of thefact that Hun-gary is notplaying fortime, and is notattempting toplay the “Turk-ish Card”’. Hesaid that theIMF/EU agree-ment is neededfor the financ-ing of the coun-try and bye v e r y b o d ywhose eco-nomic and po-litical interestsare linked tothe stability ofthe economy.

Photo: Károly Árvai

Photo: Károly Árvai

T h e p a r l i a m e n t h a s v o t e d o n t h et e l e c o m s e r v i c e s t a x

(Online 18 May) The next step istaken in order to establish long termfiscal sustainability and reduce gen-eral government debt.Due to the slowing of the Europeaneconomy and the protracted euro-zone crisis, the European Commis-sion forecasts lower growth for 2012and 2013, and therefore the govern-ment has decided to implementmeasures aimed at fiscal improve-ment.The measures aimed at fiscal im-provements – which include provi-sions both for cutting expendituresand increasing revenues – enableHungary to achieve in a sustainableway the formerly projected deficit tar-gets of 2.5 percent for 2012 and 2.2percent for 2013.One of the revenue-boosting meas-ures is the telecom services tax, forwhich a basic principle has been thatit should be applicable to a largenumber of people and should have alow tax rate.Another principle has been that thenew tax should fit well into the ongo-ing tax reform in which liabilities havebeen shifted from incomes to con-sumption and sales. Every economicstudy concludes that taxes on con-sumption and sales are the kindswhich distort the economy and ham-per growth in the smallest possibledegree. Furthermore, taxes on con-sumption and sales are more propor-tionate from a social viewpoint,because the wealthy pay more asthey also consume more.

After the above requirements hadbeen met, last week the governmentsubmitted to parliament the bill onthe telecom tax, which has beenadopted without amendments by theNational Assembly earlier today.The new tax is a sales-type liability,which is levied on fixed line or mobilephone calls or messages via theelectronic telecommunication net-work of Hungary. The tax is2HUF/minute and 2HUF/SMS orMMS. The tax bearer is the serviceprovider, which is obliged to declarethe tax and pay it until the 20th of themonth after the call was made or themessage forwarded. The exceptionto this rule is the first period, July,when the tax shall be declared andpaid in September instead of August.Tax liability, however, is in place al-ready in July.According to the regulation adoptednow, tax is exempted for emergencycalls, calls and messages to charitydonation numbers, test calls andcalls to European harmonized num-bers. The objective of the exemp-tions provided by the law is toexempt the service provider frompaying tax in certain cases of com-mon interest and technical calls re-lated to network maintenance.In addition, the service provider is ex-empt of paying tax for up to 10 min-utes of monthly usage for privatecustomers. The objective of this ex-emption is to prevent the serviceprovider from raising service feeswith reference to the tax on the one

hand. On the other hand, this provi-sion provides an opportunity for theservice provider to establish a pricingpolicy which favors private cus-tomers, that is, to offer better pricesfor private persons.Furthermore, the tax is capped forthe subscriber, as the payable tax islimited at 700HUF/month/phonenumber for private customers and2500HUF/month/phone number forcorporate customers.As far as fiscal revenues are con-cerned, 44-45bn HUF annual rev-enues are expected from the newtax. As it is implemented from 1 July,revenues for this year will be half ofthat amount.The government does not believethat the new tax will be shifted tosubscribers, because market compe-tition will prevent it. This argumenthas been also proven right by theconsumer price indices of the sectorin the last couple of years. Further-more, tax shifting is not justified asfrom 1 January 2013 crisis tax fortelecom service providers will bephased out and thus tax liabilities ofthe sector will be also reduced.The sectors which are eligible forpaying the telecom services tax willsubstantially assist Hungary to im-prove fiscal balance, reduce the levelof government debt and thereby es-tablish a stable economic back-ground for enterprises which havebeen investing or plan to invest inHungary.

New legislation provides many guar-antees of security for nationalities

(Online 18 May) On 17 May, DeputyMinister of State for Church, Civil So-ciety and Nationality Affairs CsabaLatorcai had talks in Nagyvárad/Oradea with the German Minister ofthe Interior Christoph Bergner. Bothsides agreed that Germans in Hun-gary play an essential, bridge-build-ing role in relations between the twocountries.Mr. Latorcai said that nationalities liv-ing in Hungary are extremely impor-tant to the Hungarian government,and it sees the country’s centuries-old diversity as being an extraordi-nary asset.The Deputy Minister of State drew at-tention to the fact that the Hungarianparliament had adopted a new Act onnationalities in December 2011,linked to Hungary’s new Fundamen-tal Law and as a result of wide-rang-

ing consultations. This providesstronger guarantees of security andwider rights to nationalities living inHungary. In addition to this, the newAct on Parliamentary Elections pro-vides the opportunity for representa-tives of nationalities to win seats inthe Hungarian parliament. If a repre-sentative cannot gain a seat throughthe preferential quota, there is a pos-sibility to delegate a spokespersonfor that nationality.The Office of the Minister of State forChurch, Civil Society and NationalityAffairs maintains close and construc-tive links with nationalities living inHungary, representing their interestsat the highest level possible and pro-tecting their rights. Proof of this isthat in several specific cases it hasprovided assistance in matters af-fecting nationalities (for example, the

right to the use of names for nation-ality self-governments, nursery pro-vision and EU competitive tenders).Mr. Latorcai said that it had suc-ceeded in providing a satisfactoryoutcome for the German theatre inthe Hungarian town of Szekszárd,and that soon the same will occur forthe German school in the town ofBaja.Christoph Bergner, who overseesemigration and national minorities’affairs and those of federated states,said that Germans in Hungary playan outstanding role in relations be-tween Hungary and Germany, andHungary and the rest of Europe. Hedescribed as ‘reassuring’ the guaran-tees provided by the new Act on na-tionalities to nationalities in Hungary– including Germans.

The National Core Curriculum is mod-ern and durable, Zoltán Balog

(Online 18 May) The new NationalCore Curriculum (NAT) was ac-cepted by the Government. Praisingthe new document the Minister ofSocial Resources said: „It can be acohesion to our nation.”The new National Core Curriculumwas presented by the Minister of So-cial Resources and the State Secre-tary for Education at Thursday’spress conference.The Government’s spokeperson An-drás Giró-Szász said: „With the newgovernment taking over the control itturned out that there had been anumber of state systems needing afull revision. The shortcomings of thehungarian public education systemwere identified as such by many au-dits. Beside the new Public andHigher Education Acts the NationalCore Curriculum is intended to cor-rect the errors of the education sys-tem.”- he said. „The education is abasic task of the Government how-ever the institutions retain their au-tonomy and pupils can have accessto the same standard of education inall parts of the country.” – he added.

Zoltán Balog praised and acknowl-edged the efforts of the State Secre-tary for Education who was able tomanage the preparation of the CoreCurriculum during the organizationaltransformation of the Ministry. Theminister called it a durable and mod-ern document and pointed out: „Bycreating a common knowledge thenew Core Curriculum can be a cohe-sion to our nation.”„Education and learning are one ofthe most important resources andthe National Core Curriculum wasmade accordingly. It represents a na-tional public property which is theminimum of our national literacy.”- hesaid.„Yesterday’s decision was precededby years of preparation works and itis strongly supported by prestigiouspeople in the field of culture. –hesaid.„The National Core Curriculum (NAT)is the third most important documentafter the Public and Higher EducatonActs.”-the State Secretary said.„The Core Curriculum is of highvalue, modern, and in line with the

latest trends in the EU.”„The new National Core Curriculumis partly a return to the old traditionsand the minimum standards of na-tional literacy were also determinedwith it.” – she said.„Works on the Core Curriculum havenot yet been completed as the collec-tion of the framework curriculums arecurrently being prepared. It is an ob-ligation and right of the schools tochoose from these curriculums.Under certain controlled conditionsthere is room for experimentationsand therefore a chance for equaltreatment.” – she stated.She also spoke about the circum-stances and conditions that had agreat impact on the Core Curriculum.A team of experts of around 150 peo-ple participated in the preparationworks on the new Core Curriculumranging from teachers to academi-cians. The final document was ap-proved by a Patronage Board.The document will soon be put for-ward to the Parliament and will bevalid for a period of five years.

L a r g e - s c a l e e q u e s t r i a nf e s t i v a l a t Ó p u s z t a s z e r

(Online 18 May) This weekend, be-tween 18 and 20 May, an equestrianfestival will be held in Ópusztaszerwhich is the largest of its kind in theCarpathian Basin. The aim of the

event is preservation and revival ofequestrian traditions.The festival is part of the First Euro-pean Hussar Convention and willstage the Ópusztaszer heats for the

‘National Gallop’. Hundreds ofhorses and riders from Hungary andabroad are taking part in the festival.

Statement of the MFA on the Summoning theHead of the Hungarian Mission to Bucharest

(Online 17 May) The Foreign Min-istry of Romania summoned OszkárFüzes, Hungary’s Ambassador toBucharest on 16 May 2012. In theabsence of the Ambassador, ÁdámBalázs fulfilled the request as chargéd’affaires ad interim.The Romanian party raised objec-tions against MFA ParliamentaryState Secretary Zsolt Németh's ear-lier criticism on the new Romaniangovernment’s minority policy. Fur-

thermore, they expressed disap-proval of the content and the organi-sation of the planned reburial ofJózsef Nyírő. The chargé d’affairesad interim informed the RomanianParty that the Hungarian Govern-ment considered the reburial of theTransylvanian writer to be a piety andcultural event. The Hungarian diplo-mat emphasised that the Govern-ment of Hungary was open andlooked forward to cooperating with

the new Government of Romania.Hungary does not understand theRomanian decision on the HungarianFaculty of the University of Medicineand Pharmacy of Târgu Mureș,which is a major step back, as it in-fringes upon the fundamental ac-quired rights of Hungarians inTransylvania. The Hungarian partydeems it important that the govern-ments of the two states settle theopen issues by way of negotiations.

Budget and general govt debt data ac-cording to the EU Commission forecast

(Online 17 May) The EuropeanCommission has recently publishedits study titled General GovernmentData of spring 2012, which providesa comprehensive overview of the fis-cal balances and general govern-

ment debt of EU countries for 2011as well as relevant projections for2012 and 2013. According to the fig-ures published by the Commission,with regard to fiscal balances of 2011Hungary has been a top performer in

Europe: our surplus of 4.3 percent ismuch more favourable than the GDPdeficit of 4.5 percent in the EU and4.1 percent in the euro-zone.

Navracsics holds talks with Russianjustice minister in St Petersburg

(Online 17 May) Tibor Navracsics,the minister of justice and public ad-ministration, held talks with Russianjustice minister Aleksandr Konovalovin Saint Petersburg on Thursday onthe sidelines of the 2nd InternationalLegal Forum.Navracsics, who is also deputy primeminister, told MTI by phone that they

had overviewed the implementationof a Hungarian-Russian justice coop-eration agreement signed in 2011.He said cooperation had been suc-cessful, for instance Hungary's partic-ipation at the legal forum, dubbed byKonovalov as the "legal Davos", isalso part of this agreement and Russ-ian experts had recently visited Bu-

dapest to discuss legal aid.Navracsics said he had agreed withKonovalov that in case Russia ex-tends the Saint Petersburg forum intoa series of talks, Hungary is ready tohost events.Navracsics arrived in Russia fromFinland on Wednesday and will returnto Hungary after the forum.

Navracsics briefs Finnish off icialson Hungary's justice reform

(Online 16 May) Talks between TiborNavracsics, the minister of justice andpublic administration, and Finnishpoliticians in Helsinki on Wednesdayfocused on reform of the justice sys-tem and public administration.Navracsics, who is also a deputyprime minister, told MTI by phone thathe had met Prime Minister JyrkiKatainen and discussed currentevents unfolding in the EuropeanUnion, especially the Greek situationand its effects on the economic polit-ical climate.He also briefed Katainen about Hun-

garian measures in public administra-tion and efforts to boost the econ-omy's competitiveness.Talks with Finnish Justice MinisterAnna-Maja Henriksson focused onthe experiences of the reform of thejustice system in Hungary. Navrac-sics said he had presented the rea-sons for reform and briefed onchanges implemented so far. He alsotold Henriksson about the ongoingconsultations with the Council of Eu-rope concerning Hungary's media lawand judiciary.A meeting with Finland's minister for

local councils, Henna MariaVirkkunen, focused on the reform ofpublic administration in both coun-tries. Finland is in a similar situationas Hungary was before the reform,Navracsics said.Later in the day, he is also scheduledto meet the chairman of the SupremeCourt, the heads of the constitutionaland legislative committees and thegroup leader of the National CoalitionParty, which is the Finnish member inthe European People's Party.

C o n f e r e n c e o n p a s td e c a d e s o f h e a l t h c a r e

(Online 18May) ‘ThisConferencehas great sig-nificance, asit creates ane x c e l l e n tforum to dis-cuss health-care relatedques t i ons , ’said MiklósS z ó c s k a ,Minister ofState forHealth at aunique pro-f e s s i o n a lworkshop or-ganized byFigyelő, at-tended byseveral previ-ous Ministersof Health ofHungary.Patient rightsguaranteed by laws‘Hungarian healthcare was on therise during that period, since it al-lowed for the emergence of majorlaws having an impact on health-care,’ said Mihály Kökény, who wasthe third Minister of Welfare of theHorn Govern-ment, be-tween 1996and 1998and as suchwas also re-sponsible forthe healthsector. Thepolitician toldthe audiencethat he feelshis biggestachievementas Ministerwas that Hun-gary was thefirst in the re-gion to intro-duce patientrights regula-tions and es-tablish patientrights institu-tions. ‘In addi-t i o n ,significant de-velopmentswere brought about, in part with thehelp of the World Bank, such as therenewal of medical equipment inhospitals,’ recalled Mihály Kökény.The Minister also mentioned that heregrets not having been able to real-ize the regional modernisation pro-gramme they developed, whichwould have helped bring about thedecentraliza-tion of thehealth sys-tem.Health sectorpreparationsfor EU acces-sionÁrpád Gógl(1998-2000)h igh l igh tedthat during histime as Minis-ter, they man-aged toe s t a b l i s hfunc t ion ingsystems forheal thcare,training andpostgraduatetraining. Atthe beginningof his leader-ship in theMinistry, histask wasmade easierby the already existing legal back-ground, said the Minister. ‘During thisperiod, preparations for EU acces-sion were started, but no majorhealth sector difficulties were identi-fied,’ explained Árpád Gógl.The Minister emphasized that shap-ing a proper training programme forresidents was one of the accessionrequirementsin the healthsector. ‘TheN a t i o n a lHealth Devel-opment Re-s e a r c hInstitute wasestabl ishedand the vacci-nation systemwas com-pleted duringthis period,’r e c a l l e dÁrpád Gógl,and added,‘the privatiza-tion of gen-eral andp a e d i a t r i cpractices, thedevelopmentof the ambu-lance net-work, as wellas the prede-cessor of theAct on the protection of non-smokerswere also born at this time.’An outstanding milestone: adoptionof the Hospital ActIstván Mikola, the second Minister ofHealth of the Orbán Government,spoke about his greatest fourachievements during his one-and-a-half year term as Minister between2001-2003. A significant achieve-ment was the adoption of the “For AHealthy Nation” Public Health Pro-gramme. As part of this 10-year pro-gramme, general organized breastcancer screening was introduced.‘Another major result was the prepa-ration of the programme of financingpharmaceuticals, restricting profits ofpharmaceutical producers,’ recalledthe Minister. The third achievementthe politician highlighted was the in-troduction of full health insurance re-imbursement of conservativedentistry, which was previously a se-rious public health issue. IstvánMikola thinks, the biggest success ofhis work as Minister was the adop-tion of the Hospital Act, covering theoperation of hospitals as well as the

legal status of medical doctors.Health and social sectors unitedJudit Csehák, who was the Ministerfor Health, Social and Family Affairsfrom 2002 highlighted that these 3areas should join forces, becausethere are close ties between health-care and the social background. The

Minister said that they carried on thePublic Health Programme launchedduring the previous Government.She emphasized that during this pe-riod, health workers received a 50percent wage increase. Judit Csehákadded that they should have also in-troduced professional requirementsin order to inspire greater perform-ance. The Minister considered it a

failure that the President of the Re-public of Hungary did not sign theHospital Act and the Government didnot submit the draft Act on the legalstatus of health workers to Parlia-ment.Legal harmonization in healthcareMihály Kökény described his secondterm as a Minister (2003-2004) as acomplicated period burdened with

several conflicts and felt that it wasless successful compared to his firstterm. EU accession was during thisperiod, reminded the Minister, thusthere was a lot of work carried out inthis field, legal harmonization and thepreparation of the sector for acces-sion provided numerous tasks, there-fore he considers this preparatorythe greatest success of this period,which also proved to be a substantiallearning period.Health programmesJenő Rácz, who led the Ministry ofHealth between 2004 and 2006, em-phasized: everyone appointed to thisposition, will have to face financialand economic problems. During histerm, they continued the health pro-grammes initiated during the previ-ous cycle and at the same timedeveloped the child health, the emer-gency, the oncology and the cardio-vascular health programmes –reminded the Minister.‘This was complemented by thehealth chapter of the “100 Steps Pro-gramme” of the Government, as wellas the health related parts of the Eu-

ropean Union’sfinancial pro-gramming pe-riod of2 0 0 7 - 2 0 1 3 , ’said Jenő Ráczand added,‘the electioncampaign con-tained an addi-tional healthprogramme.’Difficulties andfailuresÁ g n e sHorváth, thesecond Minis-ter of Health ofthe secondG y u r c s á n yGovernment,reminded thatduring the min-istership of herpredecessor,Lajos Molnár,several rather

important acts had been adoptedand the task of their stabilization wasleft to her. The Minister mentionedthree issues which she considered afailure: the success of the referen-dum for the abolition of the visit fee;the withdrawal of the Health Insur-

ance Act, asthis preventedthe fulfillmentof the insur-ance reform.Ágnes Horváthfelt that thethird greatestfailure was thatthe CapacityAct they hadadopted is stillin force, eventhough the in-tention of theleaders of thehealth sectorwas to keep itin force only fora year.Single riskpoolingT a m á sSzékely, theMinister ofHealth for theperiod be-tween 2008

and 2010, highlighted that Hungaryneeds a social insurance systembased on a single risk pooling. Thatis why he began his ministership withthe review of the Health InsuranceAct, he added and emphasized thatthis period was significant in regardto the utilization of EU funds, as wellas to the financing protocol related

legislation.The crisis ismaking health-care develop-ments difficult‘It was very in-teresting to lis-ten to thepredecessors,because thecurrent Gov-ernment is at-tempting tocarry on someof theirachievements,while otherones have al-ready beendissolved,’ saidMiklós Szóc-ska. The Minis-ter of State forHealth re-minded thatthe currentGovernmen thad to face se-

vere difficulties in the field of healthas well, and these problems werefurther engraved by the fact that al-though at the time of the change ingovernment, the growth-friendly eco-nomic policy looked like a possibility,however, since the deepening globaleconomic crisis or the situation inGreece, the situation has changed

drastically, fur-ther deepeningdifficulties ofthe health sec-tor as well.Miklós Szóc-ska said thatthe first seriousachievement ofthe OrbánGovernmen twas thechange in themethodologicalparadigm ofhealth policy,which supportsthe involve-ment of profes-sionals in thepreparation oflegislation fromthe first mo-ment. The Min-ister of Statementioned an-other importantpartial achieve-

ment, which was the wage raise ofhealth workers, a health sector crisisinherited from the previous Govern-ment. ‘The increase in wages is only“fire-fighting” which helped maintainoperation, but progress must bemade in the future,’ declared MiklósSzócska.The Minister of State mentioned an-other issue, which is the almost com-plete lack of possibility in makingstrategic resource generating deci-sions in the middle of a global eco-nomic crisis. In addition, he promisedthat the Government would continuethe public health programmes itstarted.This is about humansMiklós Réthelyi emphasized the im-portance of healthcare and said thathumans are the nation’s resource. Asthe Minister for National Resources,he had to co-ordinate several verydifferent areas. ‘However,’ MiklósRéthelyi added, ‘these various fieldsare all inter-related and it is very im-portant that they learn from and buildon each other.’

Photo: Károly Árvai

Photo: Károly Árvai

Photo: Károly Árvai

Photo: Károly Árvai

S p e c i a l a c c o u n t s h e l pc h i l d r e n i n c a r e

(Online 18May) A coop-eration agree-ment hasbeen signedby the Secre-tary of Social,Family andYouth Affairsof the Ministryof Human Re-sources andOTP Bank inBudapest on15th May2012 in orderto ensure thatthe bankwould de-velop a value-keeping andpersonalizedoffer for themanagementof the savingsof children incare.The agreement concerns more thantwenty-six thousand children andnearly twenty-seven thousand youngadult in care or leaving care and itsvalue is about 47 billion HungarianForint as Miklós Soltész informed.The Secretary of Social, Family andYouth Affairs told that the relevanceof the non-exclusive agreement isthat the leading Hungarian bankwould provide a special service forthe savings of children with specialcircumstances. Furthermore, he em-phasized that the overnight interest

rates of the guardian deposits haveshown a relevant growth and are be-coming unified. He added that OTPBank has undertaken the develop-ment of financial solutions, whichwould ensure the value-keeping ofthis type of savings. In order to makeit sure the overnight interest rate ofthe guardian Forint Accounts wouldbe tied to the average of the inflationof the previous three monts. OTPBank would still offer the current spe-cial time deposits as well as the spe-cial options of six-months andtwo-years time deposits for the

guardian HUFa c c o u n t s ,which would beindexed to theinterest rate ofthe HungarianNational Bank.Miklós Soltészalso told thatthe ageementincludes thatOTP Bankwould supportthe housing ofadoptive fami-lies by a yearlyallocation oftwenty millionHUF whichcould be usedby 4-5 familiesa year with amaximum offive millionHUF per fam-ily.Antal Kovács,

vice CEO of OTP Bank, highlited thatas a leading bank they consider so-cial responsibility as a high priorityand they would like to support thosewith special circumstances in a waywhich could enable them to plan theirown future. With regards to their of-fers he stated that the personalizedaccounts and securities acountsguarantee flexibility and value-keep-ing for the customers, which will becharaterized by a higher than aver-age interest rate and morefavourable conditions.

Antal Kovács, Miklós Soltész (photo: Gergely Botár)

Gross average wages increased by 4.4percent in the first quarter of the year

(Online 18May) In Q12012 gross av-erage wages ofthe nationaleconomy in-creased by 4.4p e r c e n t ,whereas netwages exclud-ing family taxbenefits in-creased by 1.6percent in com-parison to thecorrespondingperiod of theprevious year –the KSH hasreported earliertoday in its sta-tistical release.In the nationaleconomy gross average wage of thefull time employed was 222 700HUFin March 2012 which corresponds toa rise of 2.7 percent compared to thecorresponding period of the previousyear. Net wage – which was 144200HUF – has been practically un-changed compared to the figure oflast year which was a period of a

sharp wage hike. Net wage calcula-tion, however, does not take into con-sideration the favourable impact offamily tax benefits which can beclaimed for children.The average gross wage for publicsector employees has risen evenmore dynamically by 5.8 percent andis currently 238 300HUF, whereas net

wage is 154000HUF afteran increase of2.7 percent.The gross aver-age wage foremployees ofbudgetary insti-tutions – ex-c l u d i n gemployees ofpublic employ-ment schemes– increased by1.8 percent incomparison tothe correspon-ding period ofthe previousyear, and it iscurrently 204300HUF.Employees in

the financial and insurance sectorshave continued to be top wage earn-ers, followed by employees in the in-formation and communication, afterthat the energy industry sector. Thelowest paid employees were in thehotel trade and catering sectors.

Nuclear revival within reach(Online 17 May) Minister of State forClimate Change and Energy PálKovács represented the HungarianMinistry of National Development atthe plenary session of the EuropeanNuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) heldon 14-15 May 2012 in Bratislava.High-ranking government officials,representatives of the EuropeanCommission and the European Par-liament, the managers of large powerengineering companies, and the del-egates of sectoral trade unions andnon-government organisations meton the seventh occasion this year.The findings of the stress tests per-formed in European nuclear powerplants and extension of the European

nuclear safety regulation were men-tioned during the forum. In relation tothe European Union's energy plansset out in Roadmap 2050, the partiesalso discussed issues related to thefuture of nuclear energy and nucleartransparency.Slovakian head of government,Robert Fico and Czech Prime Minis-ter Petr Necas pointed out that onboth countries considered stresstests closed, welcomed thefavourable findings and encouragedthe earliest possible implementationof their findings in practice.The forum participants stressed theneed of support from the EuropeanCommission to low-carbon technolo-

gies. According to the expert opinionsreferenced by the speakers, unlessnuclear power plants are expanded,Europe's carbon emission reductioncommitments were unfeasible in en-ergy generation and transport.ENEF, established at the EuropeanCommission's initiative, is a platformof organisations interested in nuclearenergy in the Member States of theEuropean Union. The purpose of itsoperation is the promotion of a regu-lar exchange of ideas between thenations on the current issues, im-provement opportunities and devel-opments in the field.

Successful Tender for Solar Collectors bythe Ministry of National Development

(Online 17 May) The total amountrequested in the applications submit-ted for the sub-programme to supportthe establishment of solar collectorsystems covers the HUF 2.97 billionavailable for this purpose under theNew Széchenyi Plan Green Invest-ment Scheme. Once the deadline ex-tended to 15 May 2012 was over, theMinistry of National Developmentclosed the scheme. Altogether 5,686applications were received, morethan 2,300 of which have been as-sessed favourably up to now. Evalu-ation of the remaining applications isin progress.The tender financed from the rev-

enues of the international sale of car-bon quotas offered an opportunity forpower engineering modernisations topromote the use of renewable energycarriers. According to the NationalEnergy Strategy, carbon emissionmay be reduced and energy effi-ciency improved, among others, byincreasing reliance on solar power.Responses to this new scheme haveproved that the Government’s inten-tions set out in the National ActionPlan for Renewable Energy Utilisa-tion coincide with the requirements ofthe potential applicants.Once the submission deadline wasover at midnight on 15 May 2012, the

Ministry of National Developmentclosed the grant scheme and stoppedreceiving tender documents. Any sub-sequently submitted application willbe automatically rejected withoutevaluation.The scheme started by the ministryfacilitates reduction in the overheadand power costs of the approvedhouseholds. This programme will se-cure orders for the Hungarian smallentrepreneurs of this sector. The proj-ects implemented with support underthis tender will contribute to the fulfil-ment of Hungary’s commitments un-dertaken in the field of climateprotection.

Nowhere People(Online 16May) Mr Lás-zló Felkai,State Secretaryof Ministry ofInterior and MrG o t t f r i e dK ö f n e r ,UNHCR’s Re-gional Repre-sentative forCentral Europeopened a jointe x h i b i t i o nabout theworld’s state-less people en-titled “NowherePeople –H a z á t l a n u l ”which will beheld on 16-31May 2012 inthe Palace ofArts (MÜPA).Stateless per-son shall meanany person who does not hold a na-tionality and is not considered as anational by any state under the oper-ation of its law. Situation of statelesspeople settled through internationallegislation is high on the UNO agendasince the establishment of the organ-ization. This issue has not been sat-

isfactorily resolved yet and is one ofthe main challenges of the interna-tional community. In 2011 was the50th anniversary of the 1961 Conven-tion on the Reduction of Stateless-ness.About 12 million people around theworld do not have citizenship of anycountry. Stateless people are often

unable to enjoya wide range ofrights and areprevented fromfully participat-ing in society,their rights arenot fully re-spected - theyare unable towork legally,travel freelyand have pre-vented accessto educationand healthcare.H u n g a r yearned ap r o m i n e n tplace in the in-ternational hu-m a n i t a r i a nc o m m u n i t ythanks to its ac-cession to thein ternat iona l

conventions relating to the protectionof stateless people and to the goodpractices. Hungary ratified the 1954and 1961 Conventions on Stateless-ness. Our country has a world qualityreference national procedure for therecognition of stateless people whichis a best practice in Europe.

László Felkai (Photo: Gergely Botár)

New Block Added to Clinical Cen-tre of the University of Szeged

(Online 16May) Ministerof National De-v e l o p m e n tZ s u z s a n n aNémeth laidthe foundationstone of thenew clinicalblock of theUniversity ofSzeged on 15May 2012. Inthe frameworkof the NewS z é c h e n y iPlan, two proj-ects will be im-plemented inthe ClinicalCentre of theUniversity ofSzeged. Oneof them will bea new 265-bedfacility to beerected nextand connect-ing to the cur-rent 410-bedNew Clinic, in-cluding the re-const ruct ionand moderni-sation of theexisting edi-fice. The otheris the improve-ment of theu n i v e r s i t y ’ se m e r g e n c yhealth careunit into n up-to-date 19-beddepartment of-fering practi-cally full-scaleprofess ionalservice inorder to createthe conditionsof one-stop-shop emer-

gency healthcare for the en-tire region.Min-ister forNational Devel-o p m e n tZ s u z s a n n aNémeth at-tended the cer-emonial layingof the founda-tion stone as aspecial guest,accompaniedby Minister ofState forHealth CareMiklós Szócskaof the Ministryof Human Re-sources, whoalso gave anaddress. “Thehospital invest-ments made atthe centre ofC s o n g r á dcounty as wellas variousother sitesprove thathealth care isdeveloping andis in progressin Hungary”, hestressed. Ac-cording to theplans, the proj-ect worth anaggregate ofHUF 12.3 bil-lion and in-vested into theimprovementof the Szent-Györgyi AlbertClinical Centreof the Univer-sity of Szegedmay be com-pleted by theend of 2013.

photo: Step&Vals Kft.

photo: Csaba Pelsőczy

Cutback on designer drugs(Online 16 May) Besides the slow in-crease in illicit drug use, the con-sumption of designer drugsdramatically increased in Hungarybetween 2009 and 2011. These psy-choactive substances with more orless unpredictable effects arespreading apace especially amongthe youth. Due to their rapidly chang-ing composition, prohibiting and pe-nalizing them presented seriousproblems. The Government has im-plemented new instruments againstthe distribution of drugs, and theearly results have already beenachieved.In the course of the modification of

the Health Law, as an Annex of it, aso called List „C” was created, whichcame into force on 2nd April 2012,and in which those substances withpsychoactive effect are enlisted withtheir generic formulae. In the futurethe possession and the distribution ofall the modified substances can bederived from these generic formulaewill classify as enlisted in List „C”,therefore result in applying sanc-tions. The new psychoactive sub-stances appearing in the EarlyWarning System can be included inthe list within a short period of two orthree weeks.All persons who import or transfer

across the country, produce, possessor distribute such enlisted sub-stances commit a crime and can beimprisoned for up to three years. Ac-cording to the current draft PanelCode those persons who committhese crimes in or in the neighbour-hood of schools, cultural or other pro-tected institutions are to be judgedmore seriously.From 2nd April on the vast majorityof the websites trading with designerdrugs has closed down, and thenumber of the hospitalization casesdue to substance use has been de-creased by more than 90%.

Conference on Green Growth(Online 15May) At theSmart Econ-omy Hungaryconference or-ganised onTuesday in Bu-dapest byCoSignum andthe National In-stitute for Envi-r o n m e n t(NeKI), StateSecretary forEnvironmentalAffairs ZoltánIllés and StateSecretary Nor-bert Csizmadiaspoke aboutthe new WasteManagementAct and the re-lation betweenthe environ-ment and theeconomy.The State Sec-retary re-minded thosepresent that thestandpoint ofthe delegatesat the OECDconference hadalso been thatit is not possi-ble to plan eco-nomic andfinancial policywithout takinginto accountthe environ-ment, naturalresources andconservation.Nature "kicks back" very soon in re-sponse to any negative action. As anexample he mentioned that Hungaryis a country that is very rich in water,but if the population is not preparedto connect to the sewage system, thisleads to pollution of water stocks.This is why the increase of the soilstress charge was necessary, em-

phasised Zoltán Illés.The politician stressed that the statemust play an even greater role in bothconservation and waste manage-ment. As a step in the right direction,Zoltán Illés mentioned the fact that atpresent the collection and utilizationof waste is already conducted on thebasis of the Danish model by a state-owned, non-profit company. He also

e m p h a s i s e dthe fact thatstate responsi-bilities must beperformed bythe state, andthat for exam-ple flood pro-tection is bettermanaged bythe state than itwould be bylocal govern-ment.Zoltán Illés an-nounced thatParliament isexpected toadopt theWaste Man-agement Act byS e p t e m b e r ,and that the 33implementationorders andstatutes in-cluded in thedraft of the Actwould also bepublished bythen, creating atransparent sit-uation regard-ing the issue.As NorbertC s i z m a d i a ,State Secretaryfor PlanningCoordination ofthe Ministry ofNational Econ-omy put it, longterm develop-ment is deter-mined by thestate of na-

tional resources, employment andhigh added value production, mean-ing that green technologies mean away forward for Hungary with regardto all three criteria. For this reason,development of the green economywas also given great emphasis in thenew Széchényi Plan, reiterated theState Secretary.

photo: Ernő Horváth

Zoltán Illés (photo: Ernő Horváth)

G D P f i g u r e d r i v e n b y i n -t e r n a t i o n a l t r e n d s

(Online 15 May) European eco-nomic data published today clearlyshows that Europe still faces seriouschallenges in the area of growth. Eu-rostat’s latest figures show a signifi-cant slowdown in the EU27 and theeurozone. European economic de-velopments illustrate the importanceof the Hungarian government’s pol-icy of opening up to the East, and itsattempt to increase the country’seconomic security through newstrategic alliances.Transparent and predictable eco-nomic policy is extremely importantin this international economic envi-ronment. As has been demonstrated,

the Government continues to becommitted to the reduction of gov-ernment debt and the budget deficit– a commitment which strengthensinternational trust in the country.Over the last two years the Govern-ment has enacted an extraordinarylevel of fiscal consolidation, makingit one of the leading countries in Eu-rope in this regard.As a result of this, the EuropeanCommission’s latest forecasts showthat Hungary will be one of only fourMember States where governmentdebt will fall in the next two years –creating the foundations for futurestability and growth.

Seeing the formation of negativecyclical trends in foreign markets, atthe beginning of this year the Gov-ernment started preparation of eco-nomic stimulus measures, in order toachieve increased economic growthfor the rest of the year. The key togrowth is job creation, and so theState is supporting Hungarian SMEsand foreign investments addingvalue and creating jobs. One of thelatter is the Mercedes plant inKecskemét, which started productionat the beginning of the second quar-ter, and which will have an extremelypositive effect on the next set of GDPfigures.

A g r e e m e n t w i t h K o s o v o(Online 15 May) Mr. Lóránt Balla,Ambassador of Hungary to Kosovoand Mr. Bajram Rexhepi, Minister ofInternal Affairs of the Republic ofKosovo signed an Agreement be-tween the Government of Hungaryand the Government of the Republic

of Kosovo.The Agreement on the readmissionof persons residing illegally on theterritory of their States and the Pro-tocol was implemented on 15 May.Therefore the first bilateral agree-ment between the two countries has

been signed. The two parties ex-pressed their satisfaction with the co-operation until now and hope that therelations in the area of interior affairswill continue to deepen further.

Dutch cultural diplomat received the Hun-garian “Pro Cultura Hungarica” award

(Online 15 May) The Hungarian Min-ister for National Resources deco-rated Mr. Jan Kennis, Dutch culturaldiplomat – current vice president ofSICA – with the award Pro CulturaHungarica. The decoration washanded over, in the name of the Min-ister by H.E. Gyula Sümeghy, Am-bassador of Hungary to theNetherlands during a short ceremonyat the Embassy on 11 May 2012.

Mr. Jan Kennis worked as a culturaland press attaché at the Embassy ofthe Kingdom of the Netherlands inBudapest between 2005 and 2010.He was the driving force behind nu-merous high profile cultural festivalsand events, such as the LOW Dutch-Flemish Cultural Festival in Bu-dapest, the “Nincs Lehetetlen”(“Nothing is impossible”) Festival,and his active participation con-

tributed to the success of the culturalevents of the “My City Budapest”project. During his time spent in Hun-gary and since then onwards, Mr.Jan Kennis played/ plays an activepart in the deepening of Dutch-Hun-garian cultural relations. Owing to hisachievements, the interest for Dutchculture in Hungary and that of theHungarian culture in the Netherlandshas significantly grown.

A d j u s t e d d a t a s i g n a l s l i g h t i m -p r o v e m e n t i n i n d u s t r i a l o u t p u t

(Online 15May) Work-day-adjustedindustrial out-put was 0.6p e r c e n thigher inMarch 2012than the yearb e f o r e ,whereas onthe basis ofseasonal ly-and workday-adjusted sta-tistics in thethird month ofthe year out-put was 0.6p e r c e n thigher than inthe previousmonth. Unad-justed datasignal a de-cline of 1.6percent in in-dustrial production. For the future avery positive piece of data is the 17.1percent year-on-year increase ofnew orders in the surveyed month.Out of the sectors of national econ-omy, manufacturing and energy in-dustry output declined by 0.9 percentand 7 percent, respectively, howevermining output, which is a relativelyless significant sector, increased by7.7 percent in March 2012 in com-parison to the corresponding periodof the previous year.Within the manufacturing industrythere were six sub sectors which reg-

istered growth: out of the larger onesthe output of manufacturing of trans-port equipment and food, beveragesand tobacco products increased by10 percent and 3.7 percent, respec-tively. From the smaller sub sectorsthe output of the manufacturing ofrubber and plastics products andother non-metallic mineral productswas 3.9 percent higher, and the man-ufacturing of basic metals and fabri-cated metal products increased by2.3 percent. The 5.4 percent declineof the manufacturing of computer,electronic and optical products,

which is thesecond mostsignificant subsector, had thesingle largestnegative im-pact on indus-trial production.On the side ofsales, indus-trial exports in-creased by 0.5percent inMarch 2012,which result isattributable tothe 9.9 percentexport growthof transport ve-hicle manufac-turing and the8 percent de-cline of the ex-port ofmanufacturingof computer,electronic and

optical products.Domestic sales were 7.6 percentlower in March 2012 compared to thelevel of the previous year, but the do-mestic sales of manufacturing prod-ucts registered only a decline of 3.6percent in the surveyed month.It is a favourable indicator for the up-coming period that due primarily tothe 21.2 percent growth of new ex-port orders for the automobile indus-try, total new orders of manufacturingsectors increased by 17.1 percent. Inaddition, total orders were 24.4.per-cent higher in the surveyed month.

G o v e r n m e n t a d o p t s t h eN a t i o n a l C o r e C u r r i c u l u m

(Online 18May) Afterseveral monthsof specialistand public con-sultations, at itsmeeting onW e d n e s d a ythe Govern-ment adoptedthe NationalCore Curricu-lum, which isplanned to takeeffect in 2013.The new Cur-riculum is thework of 150specialists, in-cluding aca-demics andteachers. Itsadoption wasannounced by the new Minister forHuman Resources, Zoltán Balog, andMinister of State for Education, RózsaHoffmann.As a result of thorough work by ped-agogical specialists and public con-sultations, a curriculum has beenarrived at which is rich in value, mod-

ern and in line with EU trends. It an-swers an important deficiency felt byteachers, as there has been no regu-lation of content in education since2003. The Curriculum is closelylinked to the new Act on Public Edu-cation and Higher Education, and theaims of that Act.

The new Cur-riculum aims toguarantee thatchildren receivehigh-quality ed-ucation intoday’s mostrelevant areas,with such sub-jects as econ-omy andfinance, foodsafety, trans-port safety, in-f o r m a t i o ntechnology andtelecommuni-cations, healthylifestyles andforeign lan-guage culture.A review of ed-ucational con-

tent was essential, as publiceducation has been unable to meetcontemporary needs for decades,and has been unable to reduce orhalt the marginalization of disadvan-taged groups within society.

Hungary wil l cement t ies with Indiathrough trade, János Martonyi

(Online 14May) Interviewwith ForeignMinister JánosMartonyi byThe Hindu onMay 13, 2012.Hungary andIndia may havefigured rela-tively low oneach other'seconomic andstrategic radartill now, but theHungarian sideis hoping thefo r t h co m i n gvisit to NewDelhi by itsPrime MinisterVictor Orbanwill help resetthe bilateral re-lationship andrevitalise tradeand investments.Speaking about the visit, HungarianMinister for Foreign Affairs JanosMartonyi recently said in an exclu-sive interview to The Hindu that Mr.Orban's visit later this year should beseen as a part of Hungary's new for-eign policy of “going global”.“In the last 20 years, Hungary wasabsorbed by the region; our basic ob-jective was to integrate with theWestern alliance… now it is time tolook beyond our regional borders,”said Mr. Martonyi.Mr. Orban is expected to visit NewDelhi, with a message that his coun-try is ready to forge alliances with acountry it shares “deep rooted cul-tural ties” with.Historically, Hungary and India haveenjoyed close and friendly relationssince the establishment of diplomaticrelations in 1948. The Hungarianpeople remember India's role in the1956 Uprising in their country; howIndia's intervention with the then So-viet Union saved the life of Dr. ArpadGoncz who subsequently served asPresident of Hungary from 1990 to2000.The visit, the dates of which are yetto be finalised, will come at a timewhen India and the European Union,of which Hungary is a member since2004, are negotiating a Free TradeAgreement. And Hungary, keen totap the “growing Indian market”, isonly too happy to cooperate. Mr.

Martonyi said if India were to open itsmarket for Hungarian wines, it wouldgive a tremendous boost to the in-dustry.The Hungarian exports have hithertobeen confined to high technology, in-dustrial products, automobiles, tele-com and IT, but Mr. Orban'sgovernment is keen for developingexports in agricultural and food prod-ucts and services, too.India, Mr. Martonyi explained, holdspromise as a potential market forHungarian goods and services.“Contacts [are] being intensified andwe hope in the next one or two yearsthe figures of trade and investmentwill be higher,” he noted, adding thatPrime Minister Orban's visit will bepreceded by that of the Speaker ofHungarian Parliament, László Kövér.Indian companies have invested$1.3 billion in Hungary, but there isscope for more.“This is also the purpose of the high-level visits, which are now in prepa-ration, to attract more Indians tocome to Hungary. We have a fairlycentral position in this part of Europeand we have a well developed struc-ture and [we] are economically sta-ble. Despite all the rumours in themedia, we are one of a few Euro-pean countries where deficit is under3 per cent,” he pointed out.Eager to engage more with India ona bilateral level, Mr Martonyi said:“Hungary is in a new phase and hasa new approach; it has a new priority

for foreign pol-icy. In the pres-ent stage oftrade and in-vestment, Indianow hast r e m e n d o u spotential. Tradeshould bemuch more,given the sizeof India and theexport potentialand capacity ofHungary”.The Ministersaid Hungary iskeenly watch-ing the ongoingnegot ia t ionsbetween theE u r o p e a nUnion andIndia on theFTA, andwants the ne-

gotiations to be completed soon.“Given the fact that India is one of themost important strategic partners ofthe EU, we think that this could be avery welcome development, if thenegotiations could be completed andsigned and ratified. EU-India relation-ship is more complex. India is thelargest democracy in the world ... wehave fundamental, global interests incommon, like security and manyother areas. Hungary is interested inthe early conclusion of the negotia-tions, because we believe India'smarket would give us tremendouspossibilities. We want to see how farand to what extent India will be will-ing to open its market for services.”The Minister said a scholarship ex-clusively for youngsters from “devel-oping countries” would soon beannounced and he expressed thehope that it would benefit Indian aswell as Asian students.Hungary was also keen to increasetourism between the two countries.On India's claim to a permanent seatin the Security Council, Mr. Martonyisaid: “We have always supportedIndia for the permanent seat in theUN Security Council. We have beenadvocating this for years. We knowis not easy, given the complexity ofthe ambition around the world, butwe just think this will be fair. It is verysimple; you can't exclude from theseat 1.3 billion people.”

U n i v e r s i t y c a m p u s t o b eb u i l t i n c a p i t a l

(Online 14May) The Gov-ernment hasdecided on thec o m m e n c e -ment of one ofthe largest proj-ects in the cap-ital, theLudovika Uni-versity Cam-pus project,and the fundingnecessary forits implementa-tion, BalázsFürjes, Gov-ernment Com-missioner forpriority Bu-dapest projectssaid.As part of theproject, the building of the former Lu-dovika Military Academy that oper-ated in the capital at the time of theAustro-Hungarian Empire will be re-furbished in order to serve as theheadquarters of the National PublicService University, and the adjacentOrczy Park will also be developedand will accommodate the universitycampus. The project worth HUF 24.5billion in total will begin at the end of2012 with the refurbishment of theLudovika Building, and the universitymay relocate to its new seat in 2015.The project to be completed over aperiod of four years will cost a netHUF 24.5 billion in total, a significantproportion of which will be financed

from EU funding and the sale of thevacated university properties.The Government will allocate HUF4.7 billion for the first phase which in-cludes the renovation of the Ludovikamain building and the preparation ofthe rest of the construction works,Balázs Fürjes, Government Commis-sioner for large projects, who is alsoin charge of this project, said. The re-furbishment of the main building thathas been delayed for a decade and ahalf will begin at the end of 2012 andwill be completed by 2015. This build-ing will accommodate the NationalPublic Service University. The Gov-ernment established this university asof January this year by virtue of themerger of the Zrínyi Miklós National

Defence Uni-versity, the Col-lege of HigherEducation forPolice Officersand the Eco-nomics Facultythat demergedfrom the Bu-dapest Corvi-nus University.This institutionwill serve asthe largest do-mestic centrefor standard-ised public ad-m i n i s t r a t i o ntraining and fur-ther training.Additionally, theproject will alsoextend to the

nearby more than two-hundred-year-old Orczy Park and public areas inthe vicinity, Fürjes said. As a result, auniversity campus may come intobeing in a fully renewed environment,with a wide range of services.According to plans, the park will alsoaccommodate a swimming pool anda sports hall. The former riding schoolwill undergo extensive renovation,and an outdoor riding track and athree-kilometre riding path may bebuilt. The boating lake will be re-newed. The development of theBárka Theatre located in the parkalso forms part of the project; the the-atre will be converted into a universitystage.

A c h a n g e o f a p p r o a c h i ne l d e r l y a f f a i r s

(Online 17 May) 2012 is the Euro-pean year for Active Ageing and Sol-idarity between Generations in theEuropean Union. This term refers toa social and individual practicewhereby quality of life in old age canbe improved. This does not only in-clude economic activity and stayingin the labour market but also activeparticipation in social, cultural andcivil life, as well as social reintegra-tion.The goal of year 2012 is to call atten-tion to all the tasks that result fromthe increased and further increasingage of the population and are neces-sary to keep the sustainability of thesupport system in the future.In order to strengthen families andimprove the demographic situation –beside many other factors – there isa great necessity to recreate thosefamily networks that support familieswith children in reconciling work withchild-raising and building on the ex-perience of the older generation andalso make it possible for the grand-parents’ older generation to receivecare within the family.The widespread exposition of theEuropean Year’s programmes and

objectives is intended to promote achange in approach about ageingand elderly people. We should raiseawareness to the abilities of the oldergenerations, whether talking aboutinvolvement in the labour market orvoluntary work. The goal is to start aprocess that fills up ageing with newcontent. The other goal of the cam-paign year is to contribute to estab-lishing a relevant ageing policy.The programmes in Hungary wereaccepted by the government as partof the European Year. The pro-grammes of the Ministry aim at pro-moting an active old age,intergenerational solidarity and achange in the approach of the soci-ety by highlighting the values and ex-perience represented by elderpeople, strengthening communities,activity, learning, healthy lifestyle andemphasizing the role of persons andinstitutions who undertake generouswork towards the elderly.In pursuance of the above the Min-istry announced two contests asearly as the end of last year. Thegoal of the “Way of Life” contest wasgetting to know our parents’, grand-parents’ life and era. More than 2500

people applied for the contest withtheir historical memoirs, their grand-children cooperating with them inmany cases.The “Age-Fellow” contest aimed atstrengthening communities of oldpeople and opened the door to sup-port cultural, educational, health andsport programs of pensioners’ clubsand associations. There were profes-sional lectures, author-reader meet-ings, conferences, presentations,brochures, trips, community pro-grammes, tradition preserving pro-grammes, free time and sportactivities, as well as different coursesamong the thousands of receivedapplications.Day of GenerationsLooking after the elder generation isalso related to family policy, as oldpeople are parents, grandparents,great-grandparents themselves andthis determines their everyday lives.Therefore, the Ministry organized amonumental open-air event called“Day of Generations” on 28 April2012 at Millenáris Park which fo-cused primarily on solidarity and co-operation between generationswithin the theme of active ageing.

Address by János Hóvári at the Freedom DayReception of the Republic of South Africa

(Online 15 May) It is an honour anda great pleasure for me that I canshare this special moment of cele-bration with you here in Budapest. Itis a privilege that we can mark thisoutstanding day together with ourcolleagues and friends from Pretoriawith whom we have conducted todayvery useful talks on various bilateraland multilateral issues. During ourdiscussions we were pleased to notethat the excellent relationship be-tween our two countries is strongand in the future will become evenstronger. We have established thatthere is still enormous potential in de-veloping our friendly and close rela-tions. Hungary is offering hercapabilities in the framework of theten-year infrastructural developmentprogram of South Africa, as well asin the field of agriculture, medical in-dustry and water management. Wealso support the active accession ofour NGOs to the EU projects whichoffer palpable benefits to the peopleof South Africa. Our talks today arejust a beginning; we still have a lot ofwork ahead.Ladies and Gentlemen,When you look into the very heart ofwhat April 27th means for the peopleof South Africa, it strikes you that ourtwo geographically distant countrieshave so many important values incommon. For many years thecourage and dignity of our peopleunder oppression was a beacon tothe world. The wind of change finallyreached our lands around the sametime: Hungarians overthrew the com-munist regime in 1989, while SouthAfricans swept away the apartheidsystem in 1994.

Freedom Day, which is marked inSouth Africa as one of the most im-portant national holidays – just likeour own Freedom Day–, is not theexultation of a victory above anothernation. It is the celebration of theequality of human beings and thecomplete expansion of civil rights.However, now we all are aware thatit is not enough to achieve freedom;we have to take care of it day by day.Threats of a doomed political systemmight not linger around anymore.Nonetheless, there are new chal-lenges in our modern world that canpotentially overshadow our earliersuccesses. Poverty, debt, a difficulteconomic environment, the lack ofsocial security or a reliable educationsystem – potential diseases even fora modern, developed, industrializedcountry – could easily generate sim-ilar inequalities that were imposed bya twisted one-party political systembefore. It is the responsibility of thestate- the democratic representa-tives of the people and as a loyal anddevoted executive, - to safeguard thedemocratic foundations and institu-tions of a nation.Ladies and Gentlemen,Africa is a truly amazing continentwith endless treasures of our Earthin the sense of natural resources, aswell as human culture. Hungary be-lieves that these treasures should beexploited primarily for the benefit ofthe local population in order to pro-mote the welfare, modernisation andthe democratic future of the Africannations. The more developed coun-tries should give a helping hand intechnology transfer by offering part-nership. South Africa, however, is a

partner not only in a regional context,but also in a global framework. Weare honestly glad to see that SouthAfrica is taking more and more re-sponsibilities for tackling global chal-lenges.Hungary is ready to explore moreabout the world. We are determinedto expand our global attention anddeal with issues that are not solelyan interest to our country, but wewould like to understand contexts ofother regions as well. We are keenon engaging ourselves in construc-tive conversations to shape a morecomprehensive picture of the wholeworld. We know that South Africa isa valuable partner, and we can counton you on in our efforts. There is al-ready a small history of establishingdiplomatic relations between ourcountries, and we agree on andshare the same values as guidingprinciples to our nations.South Africa is also home to a rela-tively small, but strong group of Hun-garians, who settled mostly inJohannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Townand Durban. They represent a spe-cial link and serve as an additionalengine in further boosting the alreadyclose ties between our two countries.Dear Deputy Minister Fransman,Dear Ambassador Netshitenzhe,On the occasion of your NationalDay please accept my best wishes inyour valuable work for a prosperousRepublic of South Africa. I do hopethat despite being away from yourland, you feel at home in our country,and your celebration today with yourHungarian friends remains as a goodexperience in your memories.

S i m p l i f i e d n a t u r a l i s a t i o n –a s u c c e s s s t o r y

(PR) The ministerial commissionerresponsible for implementation re-gards simplified naturalisation as asuccess story. Tamás Wetzel said inan interview given on the occasion ofthe approaching two-year anniver-sary of the establishment of the Gov-ernment, interest in simplifiednaturalisation is effectively unabatingand, according to their calculations,half a million citizenship applicationsmay have been received by the endof next year. He pointed out, while in2010 the authorities were required toprocess a mere five thousand appli-cations in one year, the number ofapplications has now increased forty-fold. Tamás Wetzel said, the legalenvironment is satisfactory and ap-propriate; some minor changes maybe made to the citizenship law in theautum. As a result, for instance,forms may become simplified andregistration in Hungary after the tak-ing of the citizenship oath may alsobecome simpler. According to the in-formation provided by the ministerial

commissioner, HUF 830 million wasused in the first year for the organi-sation of naturalisation and sums inthe magnitude of billions may be re-quired in the next few years as well.In reference to the fact that Parlia-ment passed the amendment of thecitizenship law in May 2010 and ap-plications may be submitted as ofJanuary 2011, Tamás Wetzel said, bynow applications are received forprocessing in 2200 registry offices, at92 foreign missions, in the 23 cus-tomer service offices of the Office ofImmigration and Nationality and in allthe government offices. So far, 250thousand applications and 110 thou-sand requests for name changeshave been registered and almost 157thousand individuals have alreadytaken their citizenship oaths. Seventyper cent of the applications originatefrom Transylvania, and 18 to 20 percent from Vojvodina. Applicationshave been received from more than60 countries; applications were sub-mitted, already in the first week, in

Abu-Dhabi, Qatar and Tanzania, andmuch to administrators’ surprise, oneapplication was posted from Yekater-inburg. The oldest new citizen is a103-year-old from Máramarosziget inTransylvania. The procedure takes 5to 6 months to complete. This is sig-nificantly faster than before when ap-plicants were required to wait for aslong as more than two years for theapproval of their citizenship applica-tions. Pursuant to the law, Hungariancitizenship may be requested by in-dividuals, or their descendants, whowere Hungarian citizens before 1920or between1938 and 1945, speakHungarian and in whose case thereis no disqualifying public or nationalsecurity circumstance. In deviationfrom previous legislation, the lawdoes not prescribe registered resi-dence in Hungary, verification ofhousing and living in Hungary andthe passage of the constitutionalstudies examination for the acquisi-tion of simplified naturalisation.

Y e a r o f H u n g a r i a n k i n d e r -g a r t e n s b e y o n d t h e b o r d e r s

(PR) The series of events entitled2012, year of Hungarian kinder-gartens beyond the borders, whichwas launched by Hungary’s StateSecretariat for Hungarian Communi-ties Abroad began in Kopács inCroatia. The Hungarian Governmenthas allocated HUF 100 million for theprogramme. A „road show” with 24stations in the Carpathian Basin hasbeen launched as part of the pro-gramme of the year of Hungariankindergartens beyond the borders forthe demonstration of good Hungar-ian kindergarten teaching practices.At the sessions, children, teachersand parents may acquaint them-selves with the craft of „story weav-ing” and may share the experience ofcreating tales based on commonHungarian folk story traditions. Aspart of the „road show” in theCarpathian Basin, story weaving andthe Timár method are introducedfrom among the best practices onoffer for demonstration. The methodof story weaving was presented toparticipants by folk musician andteacher Éva Fábián and ethnogra-pher Zoltán Szabó, Head of Depart-

ment of the House of Traditions. TheTimár method was introduced byBöske Timár, Artistic Director of theCsillagszemű Dance Ensemble andher students. Böske Timár estab-lished the ensemble, a unique enter-prise both in Hungary and in Europe,with her husband, choreographerSándor Timár in 1993, in which theywork with 450 children from the ageof 3. The dance ensembleCsillagszemű represents Hungarythroughout the world, from majorcities in Europe, through Brazil toNew-Zealand and Japan. As part ofthe road show, the representatives ofthe two best practices will visit differ-ent locations. The event will travel toZagreb, followed by Újvidék, Bác-skossuthfalva, Nagybecskerek,Torontálvásárhely and Székelykevein Vojvodina. In Slovenia, the kinder-garten in Dobronak and Lendva willhost the event, in Austria, the roadshow will visit Felsőőr andFelsőpulya, while in Felvidék, Slova-kia, Kassa, Kolon, Tornagörgő andPozsonypüspök will be the venuesvisited. In Transcarpathia, Ungvár,Munkács, Nagyszőlős and Aknas-

zlatina, while in Transylvania,Temesvár, Resicabánya,Nagyenyed, Kolozsvár andMarosvásárhely feature the pro-gramme as venues. The plenarymeeting of the Hungarian StandingConference approved the documententitled Policy for Hungarian Com-munities Abroad – Framework for thestrategy for Hungarian communitiesabroad on 24 November last year.The strategic purpose of this docu-ment is to increase Hungarian com-munities beyond the borders innumbers and to promote their intel-lectual, economic and legal growth.Based on this, the State Secretariatfor Hungarian Communities Abroadlaunched the 2012, year of Hungar-ian kindergartens beyond the bor-ders programme. The purpose of theprogramme is to draw attention to theimportance of parents living in Hun-garian regions beyond the bordersenrolling their children in kinder-gartens teaching in Hungarian as thenative language and subsequentlyselecting a school providing educa-tion in Hungarian.

Scout movement an important base forthe preservation of national identity

(PR) Bence Rétvári, Minister ofState for Public Administrationand Justice delivered a lectureon the relationship of the scoutmovement and the BalatonZánka Children and Youth Cen-tre organising holidays for chil-dren and young people. Thepolitician underlined in the con-text of the historical backgroundof the movement that the scoutmovement has in the past onehundred years always consti-tuted an important base for thepreservation of national identity.In Hungary, the movement isnot organised on a country but

on a national level; Hungarianscouts constitute a single or-ganisation together with Hun-garians living beyond theborders. It is a further charac-teristic of the scout movementthat it is open to everyone onreligious foundations, inde-pendently of party politics, andvoluntary participation is one ofits core values, Bence Rétvárisaid, who is a scout himself.The scout movement has some30 million members in 200countries, while the Hungarianmember organisation has 300teams and 8 thousand active

members; in the past 20 years,50 thousand young peoplehave joined the ranks of thescouts. This is an enormouscommunity which the Statecannot ignore. The Minister ofState outlined the strategy ofthe scout movement up to2020, as part of which Zánkashould become a communalbase for scouts and the centreshould be filled with valuablecontents and young people.Scouts believe that Zánka isalso suitable as an internationalevent venue.

Economy Development and LocalGovernment Committee of Hungarian

Standing Conference met(PR) The agenda of the Budapestmeeting of the Economy Develop-ment and Local Government Com-mittee of the Standing HungarianConference held on 10 May featured,inter alia, the establishment of a busi-ness region in the Carpathian region.At the meeting held in the House of

Hungarians, Kristóf Szatmáry, StateSecretary for Economic Regulation,Chair of the Committee stated thatthe establishment of a network of tenoffices is extremely important in theinterest of creating a singleCarpathian Basin economic region.The operation of this network incor-

porates in an integrated mannerthe professional skills that economicchambers are able to offer and thegovernmental intentions and meansrepresented by the Hungarian In-vestment and Trade Agency. Thefirst office opened on 4 May inKolozsvár, Transylvania.

P o n t a G o v e r n m e n t r e v o k e d a p -p e a l s u b m i t t e d a g a i n s t s u s p e n -

s i o n o f M O G Y E d e c i s i o n(PR) Romanian Parliament con-ducted a vote of confidence on 7 Mayon the government of the Social-Lib-eral Alliance (USL) headed by VictorPonta, President of the Social Demo-cratic Party (PSD), which obtainedthe support of both UNPR and minori-ties. PDL and RMDSZ did not supportthe government – the leaders of theAlliance met with Victor Ponta in themorning of the same day to discusspossible cooperation. After the meet-ing, the acting Prime Minister pointedout, the dialogue with RMDSZ mustbe continued; at the same time, theidea that RMDSZ should join the gov-ernment has not emerged. The Ro-manian Government led by Victor

Ponta revoked the appeal which theUngureanu Government, in office atthe time, submitted on Mondayagainst the decision adopted by theMarosvásárhely Court last weekwhich suspends the government de-cision establishing MOGYE’s newfaculty. The decision on the revoca-tion of the appeal was announced byPrime Minister Victor Ponta on 8 May,after the first meeting of the new Ro-manian Government. According toRMDSZ President Hunor Kelemen,the programme of the Ponta Govern-ment is the first draft in the past 22years which is completely void ofmeasures concerning national minori-ties living in Romania; minorities are

not even mentioned in the pro-gramme. The new cabinet has al-ready prevented the establishment ofthe Hungarian Faculty of theMarosvásárhely University of Medi-cine and Pharmacology (MOGYE),the current amendment of the fran-chise legislation discards proportion-ate representation and is planning tointroduce a system of individual con-stituencies for the November generalelections and the Government an-nounced that the minority legislationleft unpassed by Parliament since2005 would be approved without achapter on cultural autonomy.

E l e c t i o n f r a u d i n S e r b i a ,V M S Z c l a i m s

(PR) Parliamentary, provincial andlocal municipality elections as wellas early presidential electionswere held in Serbia on 6 May.6,759,322 persons were eligible tovote, of whom3,912,904 cast their votes. Conse-quently, the turnout ratio was 57.8%.At a republican level, the highestnumber of votes were obtained bythe nationalist Serbian Progres-sive Party (SNS) representing24.04% of the votes cast, while therival Democratic Party (DS) ob-tained 22.06% of the votes. Withthese results, the progressives ob-tained 73 seats, while the democ-rats acquired 67 parliamentarymandates. The Socialist Party(SPS) gained 14.51% of the votes,and thereby obtained 44 seats inParliament. The Democratic Partyof Serbia (DSS) obtained 6.99 %(21 mandates), „Change” led bythe Liberal Democratic Partygained 6.53% (19 mandates),while the United Regions of Serbia5.51% of the votes (16 mandates).As regards minority parties, the Al-liance of Hungarians in Vajdasággained 1.75% of the votes whichrepresents 5 seats in the Skup-stina. The Sandzak SDA obtained2 seats with 0.71% of the votes,while the „Together” minority list (ajoint Hungarian, Croatian, Bosn-ian, Slovak and Macedonian list)acquired 1 mandate with 0.64% ofthe votes. The „Together” list fea-tured two Hungarian parties, theDemocratic Fellowship of Vojvod-ina Hungarians and the HungarianCivic Alliance, however, Emir Elfić,President of the Bosniak Demo-cratic Union occupied the winningposition on the list. Consequently,on a national level, from amongthe Hungarian parties only the Al-liance of Hungarians in Vajdaságsucceeded in obtaining a man-date. The party previously had 4representatives in the Serbian leg-islature, and therefore the party’snational result in terms of the num-ber of seats obtained may be re-garded as a success. However,the leadership of the party levelledsome grave accusations as re-gards thefairness of the elections; accordingto VMSZ President István Pásztor,votes were stolen from the party atseveral levels of the elections. „Be-tween the casting and counting ofthevotes and the closure of the polling

stations and Tuesday evening,VMSZ lost approximately 30 thou-sand votes under as yet inexplica-ble circumstances. Based on theSunday night and Monday data, Iobtained 91 400 votes in the pres-idential elections, and this hasnow, strangely, dropped to 63 262.When the committee publishedthis result, the bags containing theTopolya, Kishegyes, Szabadkaand Magyarkanizsa ballot paperswere still in Szabadka. On a na-tional level, in two days, our per-formance decreased from 95 375to 67 841 votes. Based on the firstnumber of votes, our party wouldhave been entitled to seven parlia-mentary mandates; now we onlyhave five. On a provincial level,after 20 per cent of the votes hadbeen processed on Sunday night,we were informed that VMSZ ob-tained 6.4% of the votes; after 100per cent of the votes have beenprocessed, it is now claimed thatwe only have 6.15 per cent”, thePresident of the party stated at hispress conference. President of theSerbian Progressive Party, Tomis-lav Nikolic, too, complained aboutthe fairness of the presidentialelections and spoke about „brutal”fraud. The party president claimedthey had caught the democratsstealing ballot papers, and the Re-publican Election Committee, too,experienced irregularities in sev-eral places. In spite of the com-plaints received, republicanelections are not likely to be re-peated. Based on the national re-sults, a democratic-socialistgovernment coalition is expectedto be set up in Serbia; negotiationsbetween the parties have alreadybegun, however, a final decision isonly expected after 20 May, thesecond round of the elections. TheParty of United Pensioners of Ser-bia, United Serbia and the Allianceof Hungarians in Vajdaság allemerged as possible coalitionpartners. In the first round of thepresidential elections, Boris Tadic(Democratic Party) and TomislavNikolic (Serbian ProgressiveParty) obtained the first two posi-tions, and the electoral competitionwill therefore be decided betweenthem in the second round. Twelvecandidates were nominated in theelections; for the first time, a Hun-garian in the person of IstvánPásztor amongst them. Pásztormade it clear already before theelections, he runs as candidate in

the presidential elections in orderto secure a better bargaining posi-tion for VMSZ if Pásztor withdrawsin the second round of the elec-tions in favour of the democraticparty candidate. This promisemay, however, be revoked if it tran-spires about the votes stolen fromVMSZ that the Democratic Partyhad anything to do with this. „Asregards the second round of thepresidential elections, none ofwhat I have said to date holds validany more. As to what will hold validwith respect to the second roundof the presidential elections hasyet to be determined.” Electorsalso voted for the composition ofthe Vojvodina Provincial Parlia-ment on 6 May. According to thedata of the Provincial ElectionCommittee, most mandates, 16 intotal, were obtained by the demo-cratic party coalition; the SerbianProgressive Party acquired 14seats, while the Socialist Party ofSerbia gained 9 mandates. TheLeague ofSocial Democrats in Vojvodina has8 seats, the Serbian Radical Partyhas 5 mandates, while the Allianceof Hungarians in Vajdaság and theDemocratic Party of Serbia mayeachdelegate 4 representatives to theprovincial parliament. ProvincialMPs are elected in a combinedsystem; one half of the 120 man-dates are distributed pro rata,while the other half is distributed intwo-round majority elections. Con-sequently, the final composition ofthe provincial parliament will bedecided on 20 May. The numberand ratio of Hungarian mandatesobtained in the provincial localgovernment elections are key forthe Hungarians of Vojvodina. TheDemocratic Party continues to re-main highly popular in theprovince; this is confirmed by thefact that they obtained the relativemajority of the votes in the follow-ing towns/localities: Szabadka,Újvidék, Ada, Óbecse. The Ser-bian Progressive Party came firstin the Nagybecskerek and Temerinlocal municipality elections. The Al-liance of Hungarians in Vajdaságwon in Magyarkanizsa, Zenta,Topolya and Kishegyes. Thesmaller Hungarian parties aremostly unhappy with their electionresults which is not surprising; theyonly succeeded in obtaining ahigher number of votes thanVMSZ in a few small localities.

2 0 t h b i r t h d a y o f t h e L o s A n g e l e sC o n s u l a t e G e n e r a l

(PR) The Hungarian ConsulateGeneral in Los Angeles wasopened on 21 March 1992. Onthe 20th anniversary of the event,Ambassador Balázs Bokor, LosAngeles Consul General gave aceremonial reception in the BelAir Crest Club House. The recep-tion was attended by senior rep-resentatives from the localAmerican-Hungarian community,including anumber of persons who were alsopresent at the opening reception20 years ago. The Los AngelesConsulate General makes everyeffort in its consular district ex-tending to 19 US federal states tosupport local Hungarian commu-nities, to preserve their Hungarianidentity and to develop Hungar-ian-US relations in every possiblewalk of life. The past 20 yearshave seen many an achievement

that we have reason to be proudof. Particular mention should bemade of the great emotional joythat was induced in the West-Coast Hungarian community bythe introduction of the preferentialnaturalisation procedure, thanksto which citizenship oath-takingceremonies have been held morethan ten times to date at the LosAngeles Consulate General. Inhis ceremonial greetings, the Di-rector of the US State Depart-ment, Office of Foreign Missionsin Los Angeles underlined thatthe activities of the Los AngelesHungarian Consulate General arein every respect exemplary. Ac-cording to the Director, it was inconsequence of the efforts of theLos Angeles Hungarian Con-sulate General that the Los Ange-les United Hungarian Housebecame widely known and re-

spected and has become an im-portant cultural centre both for thelocal American-Hungarian com-munity and Americans who havesentimental feelings for Hungary.In addition to a number ofawards, Steven Geiger, the localpresident of the Mensch Founda-tion International handed over the„Mensch Award” to Consul Gen-eral BalázsBokor for the support he providedwith the administration of the af-fairs of the local American-Hun-garian Jewish community. As partof the 20th anniversary cere-mony, the Hungarian ConsulGeneral presented Zoltán Gidó-falvi, the President of the SanDiego House of Hungary with theHungarian Gold Cross of Merit inacknowledgement of his culturaland communal activities.

Conference on Hungarian-US relations -Martonyi: the shared values that we profess

create a bond between the two countries(PR) Many a shared value that weprofess, including democracy, free-dom and human rights, creates abond between Hungary and theUnited States; however, we do notnecessarily always choose the samepath in conquering the challengeswe face, Minister for Foreign AffairsJános Martonyi said at the Budapestconference held on 10 May on theoccasion of the 90th anniversary ofthe inauguration of diplomatic rela-tions between Hungary and the US.The beginning of Hungarian-USdiplomatic relations dates back to 17December 1921. The United Statesopened its embassy in the Hungar-ian capital and Count LászlóSzéchenyi handed over his ambas-sadorial credentials in Washington90 years ago. Bay Fang, Deputy As-sistant Secretary in the Bureau of

European and Eurasian Affairs at theState Department stressed, the twocountries may be proud of what theyhave achieved to date as allies andpartners. At the conference organ-ised by the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs, the Budapest US Embassy andthe Central-European University(CEU), János Martonyi said Hungar-ian-US relations are „stable and sig-nificant”, and are important formillions of people. He underlined, re-lations between the two countriesdate from far further back than 90years; many Hungarians haveproved themselves in the UnitedStates in politics, science and artsalike. Hungary is proud of them andof the fact that they have enhancedHungary’s reputation, he added. BayFang said the two countries mayconfidently face the challenges of the

21st century because there is astrong partnership between them asa bond. John Shattuck, Rector of theCEU stressed in his opening speechthat relations between individualsand families tie the two countries to-gether; almost every Hungarian fam-ily has some distant relative in theUnited States, and many Americanshave Hungarian roots. US-Hungar-ian political scientist, Professor An-drew Ludányi said that while theHungarians arriving in the UnitedStates as of the 1890’s primarily lefttheir country in the hope of a betterliving and were not much concernedwith US foreign policy, immigrantsthat settled in the US after World WarI mostly abandoned Hungary for po-litical reasons and paid closer atten-tion to the development ofHungarian-US relations.

J á n o s M a r t o n y i m e e t sA r g e n t i n i a n H u n g a r i a n s

(PR) During his official visit to Ar-gentina, Hungarian Minister of For-eign Affairs János Martonyi metrepresentatives of Hungarian com-munities. On 13 May the Minister at-tended a Mass to mark the 120thanniversary of the birth of CardinalJózsef Mindszenty (1892-1975) inthe Mindszentynum Centre, whichwas established in 1979, and is oneof the oldest institutions of the30,000-40,000-strong ArgentinianHungarian community. Over the pastfour decades the centre has servedas a major spiritual and intellectualfocal point for local Hungarians. Afterthe Spanish language Mass the Min-ister greeted congregants from theHungarian community with a few

words. He underlined that the Hun-garian government is endeavouringto place relations between Hungaryand Hungarian communities abroadon new foundations. He pointed outthat Hungary counts on the supportof Hungarians outside its borders increating a positive perception ofHungary and Hungarians, and in de-veloping economic and cultural rela-tions between the kin state and thehost states. At the Hungarian Em-bassy three recently naturalisedHungarian citizens took the oath ofcitizenship in Mr. Martonyi’s pres-ence. One of these was JuanMártony, Hungarian honorary consulto Montevideo, who has representedHungary for more than a decade in

Uruguay, and who is of Slovakian-Hungarian origin. The Minister pre-sented the Order of Merit of Hungary(Knight Cross) to ZsuzsannaKesserű Haynal, Editor-in-Chief ofArgentín Magyar Hírlap. Today thenewspaper is the only regularly pub-lished Hungarian language pressproduct in Latin America, and is readnot only by Argentinian Hungarians,but also in other Hungarian commu-nities in Latin America. The centralmessage of Mr. Martonyi’s meetingswas that Hungary’s new, globally ori-ented foreign policy relies on Hun-garians living all around the world,including the 150-200,000 Hungari-ans in Latin America.

E u r o v i s i o n H u n g a r i a n p a r t i c i -p a n t s t o c o m e t o B a k u a g a i n

(Online) Members of HungarianCompact Disco group which repre-sents the country at the EurovisionSong Contest-2012 will come toBaku again in future."This is our first visit to Azerbaijan,but hopefully not the last one be-cause we had such a great timehere and we still want to have moregreat time here," group memberssaid in an interview with Trend.They told people in Azerbaijan arevery lovely, welcoming and veryfriendly. "Baku is a very beautifulcity, but we would say it is stillchanging as a lot of construction iscarried out here," they said.The group members said they hada brief tour to old city, which theyfound very beautiful. In Baku theyespecially liked the building of theHeydar Aliyev Foundation, BakuFlame Towers, the Seaside Park.So, this beauty encouraged themto make a clip in Baku for their next

song. "When we will have a coupleof days off, we will walk around thecity. We will shoot a video here inBaku for one of our next songs,"group members told.Regarding similarities betweenHungarian and Azerbaijani peo-ples, the group members said bothpeoples are lovely and have greathospitality, as well as the two coun-tries have similarities in somefoods.Speaking about Baku Crystal Hall,the singers said the conditions cre-ated here are really perfect."When we first stepped in thearena, we were surprised. Alsofrom the distance when you look atit from the city, it looks absolutelybeautiful," Compact Disco groupmembers stated.Answering the question on their fa-vorites in the contest, the groupmembers said they like a lot of con-test participants.

"We like Azerbaijani participant toEurovision 2012 Sabina Babayevaand we have met with her, she hasa very nice song. We also like par-ticipants from Slovakia, Switzer-land, Denmark, Georgia," groupmembers stated.The four band members of Com-pact Disco have been performingand recording music together since2005, but only four years later theirfirst album was launched. Nowthey are one of the most popularbands in Hungary.The Hungarian four-member bandCompact Disco is comprised ofBehnam Lotfi - one half of thetechno producing team Collins &Behnam - and three former mem-bers of the funk-pop outfit Brown-field: vocalist Csaba Walkó,keyboard player Gábor Pál andbass player Attila Sándor.