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15
March

​Izmir will always remember the Independence Day of Hungary

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To celebrate the 170th Anniversary of Hungary’s War of Independence and Fifteenth of March Independence Day, the Hungarian Embassy placed a bust of Lajos Kossuth, one of the crucial leaders of Hungarian liberation movement, at the Üçkuyular Ferry Terminal thanks to the cooperation of Hungary’s Honorary Consulate in Izmir and Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.

The Turkish National anthem and the Hungarian National anthem were played at the ceremony organized for the bust. Before the opening ceremony, Dr. Gabor Kiss, the Hungarian Ambassador in Ankara, Christopher Dologh, the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Izmir and Geza Dologh, the Committee Chairman of Izmir Chamber of Shipping visited Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu.

Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu stated that reinforcing the friendship and fellowship between the two countries is crucial for regional and global peace and added “Lajos Kossuth, a national hero in Hungary, lived in Kütahya province and hosted by the Ottoman Empire for almost two years. In the past, the Ottoman Empire supported the liberation movements of the Hungarians. The friendship between the Hungarians and Turks goes back to thousands of years. As the national hero of the Hungary, Kossuth set an example for the whole world and recognized as a hero all around the world. I am very pleased to have a bust of the Hungarian hero Lajos Kossuth in Izmir. I hope that this humble bust will contribute to friendship with Hungary, regional and world peace.”

Gabor Kiss, the Hungarian Ambassador in Ankara, thanked Aziz Kocaoğlu for his supports and added “We are pleased with this cooperation which will contribute to further reinforcement of relations between the two countries. In Izmir, I feel at home. Lajos Kossuth, accompanied by a joyful crowd, said goodbye to Turkey on September 14, 1851 from Izmir Port and thanked for refuge provided to him and his comrades. This bust is a memory of those times. In other words, this bust does not only remind us the memory of Lajos Kossuth but also symbolizes the Hungarian – Turkish friendship.”

Christopher Dologh, the Honorary Consul of Hungary in Izmir, Laszlo Csorba, a history professor at Budapest Eötvös Lorand Science University and Geza Dolog, the Committee Chairman of Chamber of Shipping gave short speeches at the ceremony and thanked the Mayor Kocaoğlu for his contributions in this bust.

Who is Lajos Kossuth?
Born in 1802, Lajos Kossuth leaded the Hungary’s War of Independence between 1848 and 1849 and after defeating the Austrian army in his country, he became the first President of the Republic following proclamation of the republic.

However, Kossuth was defeated by the Austrian army when the army attacked his country with the help of Russians and he took refuge in the Ottoman Empire with his comrades. Despite the foreign pressures, the Ottoman Empire did not deliver the refugee Kossuth and his comrades and treated them as guests. Kossuth, his family and comrades were sent to Kütahya province, which was considered safe, and they were hosted with great hospitality for a period of one and half year (in 1850 – 1851) in Kütahya. He expressed his feelings and view of Turkish people as such: “I owe a debt of gratitude to the Turkish people. I consider this as a sacred and precious commitment. I have great respect for national character and nobility of all Turkish people and I appreciate them greatly.”  

Kossuth improved his English when preparing for new attempts in the West and also issued the Draft Constitution of Hungary in Kütahya. On August 22, 1851, Kossuth escaped to America from Izmir Port and then travelled to Italy and settled in Torino for molding public opinion about the struggle in Hungary and for explaining his struggle. He continued to fight until his death on March 20, 1894.
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