Administrative State Secretary Receives High-Ranking French Delegation

The French National Order of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit represent more than 1,900 awardees of 63 countries. The seat of the Orders is located in Paris, and represents all the recipients of the National Order of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit. The Legion of Honor (Légion d’honneur) was established by Napoleon in 1802, and ranks among the most prestigious decorations in the world. The National Order of Merit (Ordre National du Mérite) was founded by General Charles de Gaulle in 1963. The current Grand Master of the Legion of Honor is President Nicolas Sarkozy. The fact that the parent organization has recognized the Hungarian association again carries great weight and significance, so the official visit reflects the legitimacy of the leadership.

“The discussion focused on the reorganization of the Hungarian recipients’ association, and the establishment and recognition of the new leadership"  Dr. Zoltán Lomnici informed us. “The French guests told us that they were willing to support the new leadership by all available means, and Paris recognizes the newly established Hungarian organization." The main purpose of the Hungarian organization is to foster friendly relations between France and Hungary and strengthen the ties between the two countries.

The Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit may be conferred on public figures, politicians, scientists, artists, key economic players and soldiers. The prestigious decoration is awarded in recognition of the Hungarian–French relations. In recent years several high-ranking Hungarian commanders and Chiefs of Defence received the military version of the decoration, including Gen. (Ret.) Ferenc Végh, Gen. (Ret.) Lajos Fodor, Gen. (Ret.) Zoltán Szenes and Gen. (Ret.) László Tömböl.