Prestigious Esterházy Award presented in the Hungarian Parliament

The Esterházy Award established by the Rákóczi Association was this year presented in Parliament on Friday to two personalities in recognition of their work in promoting the cause of the Hungarian nation.

Presenting the award posthumously to István Pásztor, the former leader of Serbia’s largest ethnic Hungarian Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ) party, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér said that Pásztor “used his political talent and virtue to serve two states, two nations, Hungary and Serbia, and Hungarians and Serbians”.

He said Pásztor had never been guided by double standards, he was a politician who had always worked towards ensuring that the Serbian and Hungarian ethnic communities in each other’s state had the right to their identity, culture and the use of their mother tongue.

“Pásztor, as a leading representative of Vojvodina Hungarians, always showed respect to others, and at the same time earned the respect of others not only for himself, but for the community he represented,” Kövér said.