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AHF and the Georgian Crisis

More than 150,000 Georgians attended a pro-Mikheil Saakashvili rally outside Georgia's parliament in Tbilisi Aug. 12. Photograph by : Gleb Garanich/ReutersWILL HUNGARY ACCEDE TO THE “JOINT DECLARATION ON THE SITUATION IN GEORGIA BY THE PRESIDENTS OF THE BALTIC STATES AND THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND?”

8/10/2008 - American Hungarian Federation believes Hungary should accede to the joint declaration on the situation in Georgia signed by the presidents of the Baltic States and Poland. Hungarians remember all too vividly the Soviet intervention in Hungary. AHF issues statement. [Hungarian/Magyar version below]

On August 9, 2008, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland issued a joint declaration (“Declaration”) expressing their extreme concern “about the actions of the Russian Federation against Georgia” and condemning “the actions by the Russian military forces against the sovereign and independent country of Georgia.”  The Declaration is signed by the presidents of the four countries and “is open for the accession by the leaders of other democratic countries.”

The American Hungarian Federation, (“Federation”) founded in 1906 as an umbrella organization representing a cross-section of the Hungarian American community, has supported democracy, human and minority rights, the rule of law and the independence of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.  The Federation presumes that Hungary will be among the first to accede to the Declaration.  Hungarians remember all too vividly the Soviet intervention in Hungary when tanks rolled in to brutally crush the Revolution of 1956.  Hungary, an independent and democratic country which is a member of NATO and the EU and which just two years ago commemorated the 50th anniversary of 1956,  must not remain silent in the face of another Russian military intervention, this time against Georgia.  If the government refuses to take a stand against this aggression, it will be viewed by Hungarian democrats as an apologist for Russia.

Prepared by the Federation’s International Relations Committee
Washington, DC
August 10, 2008

# # #

On August 12, at a press conference at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC, the Central and East European Coalition ("CEEC") issued a statement expressing its concern over the “current Russian aggression toward the sovereign nation of Georgia."  

The purpose of the press conference was "to bring attention to grave effects of the Russian invasion on the Georgian nation, as well as the implications for other countries in the region."  Several members, including the Federation, represented the CEEC at the press conference. 

Thereafter, on August 15, the Federation along with other members of the CEEC participated in a demonstration in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, against Russian actions in Georgia.    The demonstration moved to the Russian Embassy where Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) joined the demonstrators, promising support for Georgia. 

“Hungarian Americans know what it is like to be invaded.  They hope the international community will be far more effective in stopping Russian aggression today than it was fifty-two years ago,” said Mr. Koszorus.  “Our Federation supports minority rights, including the right to autonomy, but minorities must not be manipulated to advance a large power’s aggressive designs against its weaker neighbors,” he added.


# # #

Csatlakozik-e Magyarország a “Balti államok és Lengyelország elnökeinek közös nyilatkozata a grúziai helyzettel kapcsolatban” című dokumentumhoz?
2008. augusztus 9-én Észtország, Lettország, Litvánia és Lengyelország közös nyilatkozatban (a továbbiakban “Nyilatkozat”) fejezte ki óriási aggodalmát “az Orosz Föderáció Grúzia elleni támadásával” kapcsolatban, és ítélte el “az orosz katonai akciót a szuverén és független Grúz állammal szemben”. A Nyilatkozatot a négy állam elnöke írta alá azzal, hogy “más demokratikus országok vezetői is csatlakozhatnak” a dokumentumhoz.

Az 1906-ban az amerikai magyar közösség ernyőszervezeteként életre hívott Amerikai Magyar Szövetség (a továbbiakban “Szövetség”) mindig is támogatta Közép- és Kelet-Európa országaiban a jogállamiságot, a demokráciát és az emberi és kisebbségi jogokat. A Szövetség arra számít, hogy Magyarország az elsők között csatlakozik a Nyilatkozathoz. A magyarok nagyon jól emlékeznek az 1956-os szovjet beavatkozásra, amikor orosz tankok brutálisan leverték a forradalmat. Az a Magyarország, amely független és demokratikus államként tagja a NATO-nak és az EU-nak, s amely két évvel ezelőtt ünnepelte az ’56-os forradalom ötvenedik évfordulóját, nem hallgathat akkor, amikor most egy másik, ezúttal Grúzia elleni orosz katonai beavatkozásnak lehetünk a tanúi. Ha a kormány nem foglal állást ezzel az agresszióval szemben, akkor ezt a magyar demokraták az orosz magatartással való azonosulásként fogják értelmezni.

Kiadja a Szövetség Nemzetközi Kapcsolatok Bizottsága
Washington, DC, 2008. augusztus 10.

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