National Cohesion Day – Opposition parties commemorate Trianon anniversary

Hungary’s opposition parties on Friday commemorated the 101st anniversary of the signing of the Trianon Peace Treaty under which Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory to neighbouring countries.

In a statement, the Socialist Party said that though the signing of the Trianon Peace Treaty was a “national tragedy”, it was not enough to simply acknowledge this. Rather, the way forward for Hungary is to link the ideas of what it means to be Hungarian and European, they said.

The party said that June 4 was not just the anniversary of the signing of the Trianon treaty, but also a day to mark the nation’s cohesion.

They said that Hungary as a member of the European Union could do much more for ethnic Hungarians beyond the border than it could as an “outsider”.

“One hundred and one years later, we are the members of a bloc in which the borders dividing the Hungarian nation are either increasingly insignificant or are gone altogether, and we believe that it is in this community that we can achieve and strengthen the free use of the mother tongue, self-determination and the enforcement of minority rights,” the statement said.

The party also called for a new compromise and cooperation regarding the policy for Hungarians abroad, which they said was key to national unity.

The Socialists said the policy for Hungarians abroad was therefore a key part of its opposition primary election platform. They added that their platform advocates the preservation of national identity and cultural heritage of Hungarians in their place of birth, as well as the territorial, cultural and linguistic autonomy of ethnic Hungarians beyond the border.

Green LMP said the Day of National Cohesion was a “symbolic bridge” that connected all Hungarians. It said the anniversary of the Trianon treaty was a day to commemorate the past and look to the future.

“The Carpathian Basin is our shared heritage,” LMP said in a statement. “This is where the strength of our national community is concentrated and this is where the connections that were lost 101 years ago are being rebuilt.”

The Liberal Party said that only a strong Europe could heal the wounds of Trianon. The party said in a statement that it was convinced that the interest of all Hungarians lay in a stronger and more unified European Union. “Because it is the EU that can guarantee the enforcement of minority rights in member states,” they said.

“Therefore we remain committed to the European Union’s enlargement and integration as well as Ukraine’s accession to the bloc,” the statement said. “We are convinced that only tolerant and welcoming nations are strong nations. And those who seek political capital from dividing the people commit a sin against the country as great as the pain caused by Trianon.”

Source: MTI