Hungarian, Romanian FMs discuss WWI cemetery issue, admin law

Hungary’s foreign minister discussed with his Romanian counterpart Romania’s recently adopted administrative code and developments at a commemoration in that country’s WWI military cemetery at Valea Uzului (Úzvölgye), in Slovakia on Tuesday.

Péter Szijjártó held talks with Teodor Melescanu in Strbske pleso (Csorbató), northern Slovakia, on the sidelines of an informal meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) countries.

In connection with the administrative law,

Szijjártó asked Melescanu to take steps to ensure that a provision on minority rights be again incorporated in the legislation, Hungary’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The provision would guarantee for minorities the use of their mother tongue even if the community makes up for less than 20 percent of the region’s population, the ministry said.

Szijjártó also asked his colleague to help facilitate further consultations between the two countries’ experts on the issue of the Valea Uzului cemetery and to promote a joint visit to the site as soon as possible.

In April this year, the local council erected a memorial site for Romanian soldiers fallen in the second world war within the cemetery.

Ahead of the site’s inauguration late on June 6, the visitors of that event clashed with Szekler demonstrators and eventually forced their way into the cemetery. Details HERE.

Hungary has slammed the incident as “blasphemous, in violation of laws and international agreements and also deeply immoral” and demanded the site’s restoration, where they said the memorial had been erected over the ashes of Hungarian soldiers.

Szijjártó underlined to Melescanu the Hungarian government’s intention that bilateral relations should be restored to rest on mutual respect and developed in a positive effort.

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Source: MTI