Govt: Autonomy is long-term solution for ethnic Hungarians

(MTI) – In the long run, autonomy could be the solution to issues around the Hungarian community in Romania, Hungary’s state secretary for nation policy Zsuzsanna Repas said in Cluj (Kolozsvar) on Saturday.

Repas addressed a gala evening marking the 10th anniversary of the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania (EMNT) and said that open issues included Romania’s questioning of the fundamental rights of ethnic Hungarians, obstructing the operations of their institutions, as well as the tendency of a shrinking community.

Repas added, however, that a political will was not enough to achieve autonomy for ethnic Hungarians; the community needs to be convinced and cooperative actions taken.

MEP Laszlo Tokes, the head of EMNT, said that autonomy was “the only alternative to changing the borders”.

Tokes called for a “new political regime change” based on autonomy. He said there was a consensus among Hungarians that autonomy was necessary, but added that Romanians, especially those living in Transylvania, had yet to be won over.

Tokes criticised the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party for “leaving the path of autonomy”. He insisted that winning power was RMDSZ’s only objective.

Photo: erdely.ma

Source: http://hungarymatters.hu/