CYPRUS Mail reported on January 20 that Sweden had initiated a new investigation to find out how the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved the lives of thousands of Hungarian Jews in Budapest in 1944 died later on in the Soviet Union.
I would like to inform the readers of Cyprus Mail that to honour the 100th anniversary of his birth, the Government of Hungary has decided to declare the year 2012 as Wallenberg Year and to set up a Commemorative Committee led by the President of the Republic in order to commemorate the anniversary in a dignified way.
Wallenberg arrived in the Hungarian capital in July 1944 at a time when it had already been under German occupation. Right after his arrival Wallenberg latched on to the activity of rescuing lives and issued over four thousand protective passports, convincing the Hungarian authorities to accept them as “family documents”, thus every issued document could save the life of several persons. Wallenberg also purchased a number of houses and declared them to be Swedish territory where he accommodated Jewish people thus providing them international protection. Carrying out his activities he cooperated efficiently with the Red Cross, with diplomats of neutral states and with his Hungarian helpers. While rescuing the lives of people from the Nazis, Wallenberg could not imagine that in just a couple of weeks he would become the victim of another oppressive regime. On 17 January 1945, the Soviet troops carried him away, and he would never return from the Soviet Union. Up until today we do not know when, how and under what circumstances he passed away. We hope that the Swedish investigation will cast light on all that.
Hungary values highly and treasures the memory of the martyr Swedish diplomat. The purpose of the commemorative year is to pay tribute to his human greatness, to present the man, the diplomat, and conditions of the rescue whereby he often put his own life to risk. The events of the past, their impact on the present and their lessons for today will be made tangible for all generations and all visitors in 2012 by exhibitions, conferences, concerts, competitions and meetings with witnesses.
The diplomatic representations of Sweden, Hungary and Israel in Nicosia plan to jointly organise commemorative events also in Cyprus.
Dr. Balázs Botos
Ambassador of Hungary to Cyprus
