Give wisdom to the decision-makers so that they can recognize the path to peace - said Katalin Novák in her speech in the Beregsász church. The President of the Republic was greeted with a standing ovation by the members of the Transcarpathian community, Magyar Nemzet .

I have been waiting for this moment for months - said Katalin Novák in her speech on the occasion of the ecumenical service in the Beregsász church on Tuesday. The President of the Republic revived his last visit in November, as he said, he will never forget the moment when he discovered an expectant mother among the members of the church choir. "After the outbreak of the war, the decision was made that it is worth having a child in this world as well," he pointed out, and then thanked all those who persevere, build and lead the community.

The head of state was greeted by a standing ovation as soon as he entered the church, and the end of his speech was also accompanied by applause. 

- I am grateful that the obstacles have finally been removed, and I can welcome you here in Transcarpathia - stressed Katalin Novák. As he said, he finds it difficult to ask the question he asked a few days ago in Esztergom: How are they? “How could I ask this question 544 days after the outbreak of war? How can I ask the question that there are those who mourn, who live in broken families? And yet I'm here to ask you too, how are you doing? What do they draw strength from?”

As the President of the Republic stated, one of the goals of his visit is to help the Transcarpathian Hungarian community gather strength.

Today I brought the strength of fifteen million Hungarians here to Beregszász

he underlined.

Katalin Novák said that we must draw strength from our common, thousand-year history, from each other, from the members of the community, from the work of aid organizations. "And above all, let's draw strength from our common Christian faith," he emphasized.

Katalin Novák said that before her visit, she asked the members of her own religious community to write a prayer for our Transcarpathian compatriots, and afterwards they prayed it in the church in Beregsász. "Give the decision-makers wisdom so that they can recognize the path to peace," concluded the President of the Republic.

Can controversial issues be resolved?

The dialogue between senior political leaders may be able to facilitate the handling of the situation of the Transcarpathian Hungarians, although in the midst of Ukraine's current state-building processes, it does not appear that a radical change will take place in this matter, said Sándor Seremet, senior researcher at the Hungarian Foreign Affairs Institute, to Magyar Nemzet . the Eurasian Center's expert regarding the fact that Head of State Katalin Novák and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi will meet each other in the next few days. The President of the Hungarian Republic was invited to the Crimean Platform in Kyiv, and before his trip to the Ukrainian capital, he will also visit the Transcarpathian Hungarians.

The meeting between Volodymyr Zelenský and Katalin Novák is such an important element in the relationship between the two countries that it indicates that the countries' controversial issues must be resolved, Sándor Seremet told the newspaper.

The expert added,

the practical implementation of the settlement of Hungarian-Ukrainian relations is another issue, as there are still problems related to the linguistic and educational rights of the Transcarpathian Hungarian community, which have been postponed, and there are also condemning assessments from the Venice Commission. 

According to Sándor Seremet, the dialogue between high-ranking political leaders can perhaps facilitate the handling of the situation of Transcarpathian Hungarians, although in the midst of Ukraine's current state-building processes, it does not appear that radical changes will take place in this matter in the near future. - This requires serious social preparation, so this should be accepted by the more self-aware part of the majority society - he explained.

Cover photo: Katalin Novák Beregszászon (Source: Facebook/Katalin Novák)