A Dead Soldier Is Not an Enemy

The Hungarian delegation laid the wreaths of remembrance at the Voronezh and Gremyache Soviet (Russian) heroes’ memorials and in the 1st Hungarian Central Military Cemetery, Boldirevka. Afterwards, the delegation attended the reburial of the Hungarian troops’ mortal remains in Gremyache-Rudkino. In saying the last farewell to L/Cpl. Ödön Baumgartner, Private Lajos Éder, Private János Joó and two unknown comrades of theirs, Csaba Hende pointed out that a dead soldier is not an enemy. This is because all soldiers who fell on the battlefield, arms in hand, in any age and any army, are heroes and should be treated with due respect accorded to the heroes.

The Minister thanked his Russian partners for their many years’ respectable work for the care of Hungarian war graves, adding that he takes personal responsibility for ensuring that the Soviet (Russian) war graves in Hungary receive similar care. Csaba Hende handed over a certificate from the President of the Republic of Hungary and a memorial medal to Yevgeni Pilyayev, the Director of the “Voennie Memoriali" association of international cooperation for military memorial sites, in recognition of his decades-long work for the care of Hungarian war graves.

During his program, Csaba Hende held discussions with A. V. Gordeyev, the governor of Voronezh Oblast. During the meeting the two sides discussed the current topics in the Russian–Hungarian relations and several important issues of the European Union and security policy.