In his address, the Deputy Prime Minister drew attention to the selection of programmes aspiring to cover the entire spectrum as they include everything connected to hunting, from science through gastronomy and many sports activities to the arts.

According to his information, in Hungary there are 70,000 hunters and 700,000 anglers, and thousands of people are involved in shooting sports and archery as well as in activities related to hunting dogs and horses throughout the country. This means that together with their family members, a quarter of the nation belongs to this community, he added.

Mr Semjén took the view that it is part of the exemplary implementation of the World Exhibition that the Hungarian hunting legislation is perhaps the best in the world.

At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister observed with regret that a large part of the media is demagogically anti-hunting, and in addition to environmental activists, anti-human eco-terrorists have also appeared on the stage, popularising unnatural things in the name of nature.

The order of nature, the Christian democratic politician said, stems from the order of creation, and it is based on this that the dignity they deserve must be given to every creature. Therefore, he said, it is also a mission of the World Exhibition to show that hunting culture is a special phenomenon that stems from human nature.

Mr Semjén highlighted that man has always hunted, and today nature, agriculture and the diversity of wildlife cannot be sustained without game management. If it is abandoned in any part of the world, according to experiences, wildlife begins to perish, while in places where it is developed, the game population thrives both in quantity and quality.

According to the Bible, abandoning nature to its fate is as much a mistake as exploiting it, and as the gardener tends the garden entrusted to his care, so does the hunter tend the forest, the field and the game, he said.

According to Mr Semjén, in harmony with the principle of sustainability, every element of the exhibition will be kept and taken to worthy venues after the end of the event, while its venue enriches the capital. The refurbished HUNGEXPO fair centre will be able to host hundreds of events annually for generations.

The Deputy Prime Minister also attended the Saint Hubertus Service paying tribute to the patron saint of hunters. Kalocsa-Kecskemét Archbishop Balázs Bábel stressed that the message of the World Exhibition is in line with the teachings of the church. He said the problems of daily life can be solved over time, but praising the Lord and the created world remains a permanent task.

The Bible mentions hunters as sustainers of life, and Pope Francis himself attributes special significance to the conservation of nature, he added.

According to the organisers, the World Exhibition will receive minimum 1 million visitors until 14 October.