Hungary's president from Erbil: ready to aid Kurdistan's development

Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan region needs the support of more than 50 countries in order to repatriate all the displaced people to their hometowns, Hungarian President Katalin Novak said on Saturday.

Along with Kurdistan's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Novak snipped the ribbon on a $4.5-million dollar school in Erbil's Christian-majority district of Ankawa earlier today.

In a speech she delivered during the opening ceremony, Novak said that her country is not the richest or most influential one in the world "but we want to help and when help is needed, we Hungarians are there."

"Hungarians are a nation of doers. You know us because we are here to support you and we are here to support your communities," Novak said, "we condemn violence, we condemn terrorism. Our common enemy is international terrorism;§that's what our soldier also fight for here in Iraq."

Novak also said that "the reason why we came here today is not just because I wanted to see the members of the Hungarian troops who pay their service here in order to fight international terrorism but also because wanted to meet you and I wanted to see on the spot what Hungary['s] help is about and what the investment of the Hungarian people means here to the local communities."

"I am happy to see that the Hungarian investment is really an investment which goes to your future and I have to assure you that you are not alone."

Prime Minister Barzani and President Novak toured the corridors of the school named "Meltho", which stands for "Word" in Syriac, sprawls over 10,000 meters squared, and consists of three separate buildings, 44 classes, and seven examination halls.

Sponsored by "Vision Education", the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and Hungary's government, the $4.5 million educational facility was built in four years and have been receiving pupils for two years so far.