“At a time when we are in great need of the courage, wisdom and foresight of the founding fathers, we have lost one of united Europe’s great architects,” the letter posted on the government website says.
Orbán writes that Kohl was a “great friend of the Central European nations,” which gave reason for “all leaders of Hungary” to always have “great trust” in the former German leader. “How much we need that trust today! In Europe it is impossible to jointly make and implement decisions without mutual trust,” the Hungarian leader writes.
In the letter Orbán praises Kohl for his “nation-building work,” calling it “an enormous political and moral achievement” that Kohl united Germany. “I am grateful that he looked upon me as a friend, and I could always rely on his helpful advice … I can reassure you that the Hungarian people will always value the Chancellor’s lifeʼs work among Europe’s most precious achievements.”
The prime minister’s letter is available at this link.
Kohl is widely known as the “father of German reunification” and as a principal architect of the Maastricht Treaty, which established the European Union and the euro currency. He died on Friday in his home town of Ludwigshafen at the age of 87.
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