Hungary's Orban stresses "Europe of nations" in National Day address

BUDAPEST, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke about the importance of freedom for European countries and peoples, and of the long and deep friendship between his country and Poland, in his speech delivered on the occasion of Hungary's National Day here on Friday.

Orban put the protection of Christian culture as a necessary condition for freedom in the focus of his speech.

"Without Christian culture there is no Hungarian freedom, and there is no free Hungary either. That is why we want the peoples of Europe to understand that in a liberal European empire we all lose our freedom," he said. He hinted at the upcoming European Parliament elections in May, where he expects the conservatives and the anti-migration parties to win a new majority against the liberals.

"The European man can only be happy if he can decide his own fate and that of his nation," he said, rejecting the idea of a "united states of Europe" in favor of a "Europe of nations."

He said that the concept of freedom has its roots in Christianity, because before God all men and all nations are equal.

Praising the economic performance of the countries of central Europe, he said that they are preparing "an overwhelming new central European renaissance."

"The Poles are here with us today as they were with us in 1848-1849 and all through the 20th century. Without the Poles, Hungary would not be free today, nor could Europe have been reunited," he said.

The National Day celebrations started in the morning with the traditional hoisting of the national flag in front of Parliament. From there, hussars marched to the National Museum, where Prime Minister Orban delivered his annual address.

Since Poland and Hungary have fought for freedom together several times, a special guest at this year's celebrations was Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who also addressed the crowds.

Morawiecki underlined that the Hungarian and Polish peoples have been friends for a thousand years, and cited examples from the two nations' history.

He said that, just like in 1848, "Hungarians and Poles are once again on the same side, fighting for equality and a better Europe."

March 15 is a National Day in Hungary marking the anniversary of the 1848 revolution and freedom fight against the Austrian Empire.

Throughout this weekend, a series of events across Hungary will mark the National Day.