The Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, Zsolt Semjén, met today in Rome, at the Magistral Palace.

They discussed various topics related to the excellent relations between the Sovereign Order of Malta and Hungary.

With regard to the issue of 11 former Ukrainian prisoners of war released in Russia and arrived in Hungary on 8 June 2023, the Grand Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed that the Order of Malta only provided relief aid to the 11 persons as lodging, food and health care, in line with the well-established principles of the Order according to which humanitarian aid must be provided to all those in need, irrespective of their nationality, political or religious beliefs and gender.

The 11 above mentioned persons were never subject to any restrictive measures whatsoever during their stay in Hungary.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed the gratitude of the Government of Hungary to the Order of Malta for the humanitarian relief aid it has been providing to thousands refugees from Ukraine in Hungary within the framework of the overall humanitarian activities of the Order worldwide.