A Polish-Hungarian memorandum on cooperation in carrying humanitarian aid was signed on Monday in Budapest by Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński and Hungary’s Secretary of State for Aid to Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej.

During the following joint press conference the Hungarian state secretary said that both countries, given their moral obligations stemming from their Christian tradition, are committed to acting swiftly to provide substantive help to those in need in various regions of the world.

He revealed they do not believe that funds should be provided through international organisations; instead, they believe that help should be taken to the communities concerned, those in need should be given help directly. They cannot forget those whom large international aid organisations have forgotten about, and persecuted Christians constitute one such community, he added.

According to Mr Azbej, everyone should find advancement in their own native land, and global crises should be resolved not through the management of migration, but by supporting those in trouble locally and creating better circumstances for them in their homes. Rather than bringing trouble here, help should be taken to places where there are problems, he stressed.

Hungary’s secretary of state also said they had agreed with Poland to share their experiences, and to set up a task force in order to share their knowledge about humanitarian crisis situations.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jabłoński stressed the agreement portended even closer Hungarian-Polish ties.

“Hungary and Poland are not only partners but also friends that share common values,” he said, adding that their positions on many issues, including helping persecuted people, were similar in many respects.

Mr Jabłoński revealed after the signing of the document that the aid will go to oppressed Christian communities in the Middle East, Africa, and some European countries.

He also announced a Polish-US-initiated ministerial conference on religious freedom in Warsaw in November and added the initiative was strongly backed by the Hungarian government.

Referring to the memorandum, the Polish deputy minister underlined that hundreds of millions of people worldwide were persecuted for their religious beliefs daily, and called the memorandum proof that this was not being forgotten about.

Hungary & Poland: brothers in arms for centuries. I have signed a Memorandum with my Polish colleague, Minister @paweljablobski today to join our efforts to help the victims of humanitarian crises and religious persecution. pic.twitter.com/qfEjSxNjyO

— Tristan Azbej ن (@tristan_azbej) August 17, 2020

Sources: www.kormany.hu,  polandin.com