Advisors on Cuban Transition roundtable founded

28 September 2008

On the initiative of Viktor Orbán, Chairman of Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Union a new roundtable named 'Advisors on Cuban Transition' (ACT) has been formed in Budapest to help Cuba's democratic transition. The other founding members of ACT are Emil Constantinescu, former president of Romania, Mart Laar, former prime minister of Estonia and Jerzy Buzek, former prime minister of Poland.


At the founding session the advisors issued the following statement:

“We, the undersigned launch this initiative to share our experiences in democratic transition with our brothers and sisters in Cuba who deserve freedom, opportunities and the sanctity of human and political rights just as citizens of any democratic nation do. By doing so, we are trying to deserve the enormous gift history had offered us by the unique opportunity to become actors in a stream of events that we all believed and continue to believe will set history straight. We call this gift the democratic transition of former communist states and their economies.

The initiators of the Cuba Roundtable will aim at broadening the present roundtable and draw forces from all nations that have experienced democratic transition from communism or its window-shop version, socialism, to help democratic forces in Cuba or in exile, achieve freedom for their homeland. Honouring the generations that fell victim of this collectivist nightmare, we believe that every lesson learnt and every single file cleared will bring us closer to never having to fear the return of any totalitarian rule. The simple and honest approach to evaluate the since then proven solutions and profound mistakes will provide something valuable for all those who one day will have the same opportunity that we had. Our aim is to help them understand better the enormous tasks ahead, and to assure them that they are not alone.

By commemorating the innocent, the robbed and the persecuted, we reveal the guilty, the rogue and the perpetrators. This initiative further honours those who stood by us on the right side of the line, and seeks cooperation with projects already trying to get and spread a better explanation of 20th century totalitarianism, like the Foundation for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Victims of Communism Foundation. Democratic transition can be unfinished business, or can even be reversed for many years to come after the establishment of democratic institutions. This warns us to value the role of the individual and their commitment to civic virtues more than ever before.”


Jerzy Buzek   Emil Constantinescu   Mart Laar   Viktor Orbán

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  • Viktor Orbán, 52
  • Lawyer, graduated at Eötvös Loránd University and studied at Pembroke College, Oxford
  • Married to Anikó Lévai
  • They have five children: Ráhel, Gáspár, Sára, Róza, Flóra
  • Chairman of FIDESZ, vice-chairman of the European People's Party

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