Hungary-Croatia ties show that fair cooperation can be maintained with other countries in the European Union even when strong national identities are a part of the equation, László Kövér, Hungary’s Speaker of Parliament, said on Wednesday.
Croatia is a good neighbour and an important partner in the economy and tourism, Kövér told journalists in Pécs, in southern Hungary, during a meeting with Gordan Jandrokovic, his Croatian counterpart, on cross-border affairs.
Both countries are developing national minority policies that can serve as examples to other members of the bloc, he added.
“As far as the EU’s future is concerned, this is a highly important issue,” he said. Contrary to received wisdom, relations can be fair if strong national identities are part of the equation, he added.
Kövér thanked the Croatian government and his Croatian counterpart for their support for the construction of a Hungarian college in Osijek (Eszek), a project already under way.
Jandrokovic said that both countries are doing a lot for their ethnic minorities, and their efforts could serve as examples for other countries.
Visiting an ethnic Croatian kindergarten, primary and secondary school, and college complex earlier in the day, Jandrokovic said that “what I have seen in Pécs has made a deep impression on me”.
He said he was very pleased with the rights granted to Hungary’s Croats and the way the community was using those rights.
“On the other side of the border the Croatian government takes similar care of ethnic Hungarians and it will stay that way in future,” Jandrokovic said.
Featured image: MTI
Source: MTI
