Hungarian Soldiers Join Parade to Commemorate First World War
Szöveg: honvedelem.hu / MTI | 2014. július 17. 13:57Soldiers from eighty participating nations of the First World War, including Hungarian ones, joined the traditional Bastille Day parade on Monday, July 14 – the French national holiday – in Paris.
Brig.-Gen. László Szegő, the chief aide-de-camp to the Hungarian President represented Hungary on the tribune set up in Concorde Square. It was the second time that soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces had paraded in Paris. In 2007, France, the then presidency nation of the European Union celebrated the anniversary of the French Revolution with the participation of soldiers from EU member states. The national units were followed by soldiers of the French Foreign Legion and the land forces as well as cavalrymen. Behind them came several items of military equipment. Meanwhile 54 aircraft of the French Air Force made a flypast over what is one of the most beautiful avenues in the world.
The Bastille Day parade was closed with the appearance of 36 helicopters. After the 90-minute parade, 250 young men of the 80 invited nations – dressed in white and black, including four Hungarian students from the National University of Public Service – performed a special choreography to Mozart’s music in front of the French political leaders and the invited guests – mostly Ministers of Defence – seated on the tribune. The ceremony ended with a release of doves. After the military parade, French President Francois Hollande gave a 30-minute televised interview to answer questions from national televisions about the main international, public and economic issues.
Photo: Defense.gouv
