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President of Hungary in visit to the Grand Magistry, Rome

‘Your work has great impact in our country’

Rome, 13 February 2020                                              

Grand Chancellor with the Hungarian Presidential couple

The Hungarian President, Janos Ader, met with the Order’s Grand Chancellor, Albrecht Boeselager in Rome yesterday. The meeting took place on the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations in 1990 – an opportunity to confirm the excellent relations that over the years have created numerous Order of Malta and Hungarian Republic joint projects in the social-healthcare and humanitarian sectors for disadvantaged communities and individuals.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Budapest last October to develop programmes for the protection of ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East, Africa and other crisis regions – as an additional memorandum to the agreement signed in 2010 for humanitarian aid initiatives.

President Janos Áder recalled the important role played  by the Order of Malta’s Hungarian Association – established in 1928 – and its relief corps (MMSz), active since 1989. “Your relief corps is one of the best in eastern Europe,” he said.  MMSZ is one of the major health and welfare agencies in the country – for which the President’s wife. Anita Herczegh, is one of their Goodwill Ambassadors.

The service manages 350 units, with a staff of 5000 and 15,000 volunteers and has 142 groups operating nationwide. Its main areas of action are assistance to the disabled and the elderly, the distribution of meals to the homeless, projects for students from disadvantaged families, support for the Roma community and all the vulnerable minorities, including those million Hungarians who live outside their country

Link to the video of the event: