By Felix Nkambeh Tih
ANKARA
Former Nobel Peace Prize winner and Polish President Lech Walesa has been presented with the first-ever Visegrad Bridge Prize to acknowledge his historic role in the transitions to democracy from communism of the Visegrad bloc of central European states - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
Walesa was honored on Wednesday as one of the initiators of the Visegrad Four alliance which works together in areas of common interest within Europe.
He received the award at the parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, for "persistently advocating the cause of the Visegrad Cooperation in the field of education, politics or diplomacy".
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Gergely Gulyas, the Vice President of the Hungarian National Assembly, said: "Lech Walesa became a symbol of resistance to communism."
"Today, the most important thing we need is unity in Europe. We must be united by accepting our cultural differences in the European Union,'' he said.
- 'Example to all'
Janos Lazar, the Head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, said: '' Lech Walesa's life is an example for everyone."
Shakir Fakil, the Turkish Ambassador to Budapest, and Yakup Gul, Director of the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Center, attended the award ceremony.
All four of the Visegrad states joined the European Union in May 2004.
The Visegrad Bridge Prize is jointly awarded by the International Visegrad Fund and Antall József Knowledge Centre.
The trade unionist and human rights activist received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 for his campaign for freedom of organization in Poland and was also named "Man of the Year" by Time magazine in 1981 and the U.K. Sunday newspaper The Observer in 1980.
He became the first recipient of the Liberty Medal on July 1989 in Philadelphia, U.S.
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