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Edmond arrived in Argentina on January 6. He was in Uruguay for a few days in February, in Brazil for a time in March, and returned to Buenos Aires on March 6. He has been there ever since, living in an Airbnb apartment. He has a small IT company, so he works from there, but it costs $ 1,200-1500 a month (the equivalent of 380-480,000 forints), that’s the cost of staying there.
“Because it is completely uncertain if and when I can get home, I am forced to book Airbnb for a maximum of one week, so I cannot even take advantage of any monthly discount there. I am completely out of financial position, as they are things”. if I run out of money tomorrow, I can’t count on any substantial official help, “he told Index.
Furthermore, you should be prepared for the fact that even if you can return to Hungary, so-called repatriation flights organized by different states are not free, in fact, so you should always make sure you have between $ 800 and $ 1,200. It is true, even this can only be enough to get to one of the big cities in Europe, and from there you have to organize and pay for the trip home.
Edmond first went to the State Department of Foreign Affairs and Commerce on March 19 for help. “From the beginning, the communication was that they knew nothing! There was a flight in early April for which there was little space, they offered to go home there, but then I offered it to those who need to get home immediately. I wrote to the consulate for a month or two. ” At the most I can still stay, seeing the complete turmoil in the world, let whoever gives birth to his wife or has something that makes him have to go home immediately. I myself have spoken to several such desperate people.
Even then, I wrote that I couldn’t stay forever either, but I felt I had to help others. Now I see that it was a very bad decision for me. “
sadly he tugged on the scale.
It really wasn’t a very good decision. After mid-March, airports in distant countries were continuously closed, and several airlines canceled flights one after another. Many Hungarians are stranded outside of North, Central and South America, leaving them with the only hope of returning home: the so-called repatriation flight (quasi-rescue Hungarians in a hurry).
They promised to take everyone home somehow
In March, a working group on foreign affairs was created, led by Secretary of State Péter Sztáray, to assist, organize, receive and coordinate the repatriation of Hungarians stranded abroad. Incidentally, the foreign affairs leadership rebuked foreign missions that did not work hard enough to help the Hungarians ask for their help. All this suggested that it was very important for foreign affairs to help all Hungarians.
We will not leave anyone alone, we will protect those living in Hungary, we will take the stranded Hungarians abroad and we will restart the economy.
– This was said by Péter Szijjártó at the session of the National Assembly on March 30, in a speech before the agenda.
Last Thursday, 120 Hungarians brought home, mainly from North America. So far, 9,529 people have been brought home from 116 countries around the world, and 624 Hungarians are still organizing their return, Szijjártó said. The minister also said that the So far, 9,529 people have been taken home from 116 countries, and 624 Hungarians are still returning home.
In late March, we asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs how many Hungarians could be stranded abroad. At the time, they didn’t tell us the exact number, only that they managed to bring 3,700 Hungarians home that week. (We asked for this before March 28, so more than twice as many people have received help since then.)
The State Department also wrote to the Index in late March that, when a total closure was ordered (as in many South American countries), it would examine whether a European country was sending a flight and, if so, whether space was available. Incidentally, the plan at the time was that, where Hungarians were scattered over a large area, if necessary, they would establish a regional center, that is, they would designate a central location from which they could be brought. They also pay attention to the place of departure of a plane in an EU organization.
Minister Péter Szijjártó said in early April that 8,000 Hungarians had managed to return home, but there were still around 900 people stranded abroad.
But let’s get back to the Edmond case!
He did not receive a separate contact person from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and after a time his personal signatures did not appear on letters from consulates and embassies. “They respond kindly at the word level, but I didn’t and will get some significant help!” he said.
He was laughing at Air France
Edmond was only able to leave Argentina on a repatriation flight, but Hungary does not execute that flight, so he tries to request flights from other countries. He thinks he should laugh, but so far he has been unsuccessful. According to Edmond, in practice, it appears that the Hungarian embassy is telling him via email to try to reserve a seat for a particular flight.
“The last time they wrote a French flight, but it was all a joke! Air France laughed when I called English-speaking international customer service who, as an individual, was unable to purchase tickets for this aircraft. The call center lady literally laughed at the Hungarians recommending it! I also spoke to a lady from the Hungarian Air France office who said that several people were looking for me on this flight, who does not know where the embassy and foreign affairs come from, that is how it works. The problem is that the embassy and foreign affairs promise that they will find that repatriation flight, but after talking to the English, German, Swiss and Spanish consulates and receiving rejections everywhere, I don’t have much confidence in that anymore, ”he told Index.
In a letter, foreign officials “blamed” Edmond for not taking one of the relief flights on April 1 (this was what he generously offered to someone who needed it the most), and because these relief flights are not as common like the commercials. Therefore, no Hungarian embassy can promise that they will be able to offer similar assistance to citizens in need, in addition to the assistance that can be provided at another time that is more convenient for them.
Edmond does not know how many people in South America could have been caught out of it. He also tried to find out from the outside because he wanted to organize a Facebook group to at least team up with the others to see if they could go further. “I’m starting to organize now, let’s see how many of us there are. In South America, for sure, many. It is less bearable at the moment,” the man explained.
Of course, in Edmond’s case, we also contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where it was stated: “The biggest Hungarian repatriation campaign of all time is still going on.”
“So far, some 10,000 Hungarians from 116 countries, stranded abroad through no fault of their own, have been repatriated, and an additional 624 people are preparing. Our South American missions are in constant contact with Hungarians registered for consular protection, and our colleagues provide them all the help and information possible to get home, “said the ministry.
(Cover image: A man crosses 9 de Julio Avenue in Buenos Aires on April 29, 2020 in the Argentine capital. Photo: Marcelo Endelli / Getty Images Hungary)
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