House Speaker addresses francophone conference in Budapest
Katalin Szili said that in central and eastern Europe, francophone is not a historical heritage but a freely chosen, surviving cultural heritage, which has always played a major role in upholding the ideals of democracy and national independence.
The conference, attended by delegates from Belgium, Canada, France, Hungary and Switzerland, marks the 15th anniversary of Hungarian Parliament's formal accession to the Francophone Parliamentary Assembly (APF)
Rozsa Hoffmann, head of the Hungarian APF section, noted that Hungary's Parliament had declared 2008 francophone year.
She emphasised the need for the French language to remain an official language of international organisations.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)