RMDSZ Opposes Romanian Foreign Ministry Decision

(MTI) – Romania’s co-ruling Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) disagrees with the Romanian foreign ministry’s rejection of Hungary’s request to open consular offices in Oradea (Nagyvarad) and Targu Mures (Marosvasarhely), RMDSZ chief secretary Peter Kovacs told MTI on Friday.

Kovacs said that the foreign ministry’s leaders had failed to discuss the matter with RMDSZ, and this was all the more reason for them to reconsider their decision. He said rejecting Hungary’s request on the basis of reciprocity and proportionality was “ridiculous”.

“Romania’s 1.3 million-strong Hungarian community cannot compare to the several thousand ethnic Romanians living in Hungary. When it comes to Hungarian-Romanian relations, it would also be nice if Romanian foreign minister Titus Corlatean remembered that actions speak louder than words,” said Kovacs.

On Thursday Romania rejected Hungary’s application to open two new consular offices in Romania. The foreign ministry’s spokeswoman, Anna Nagy, called the move “incomprehensible” and against European practices.

The Romanian ministry said at MTI’s inquiry that it had rejected the Hungarian request with regard to the principle of reciprocity and proportionality.

The Hungarian foreign ministry then summoned Romania’s ambassador over his country’s decision. The ambassador exchanged a verbal note with deputy state secretary Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky, and promised to forward Hungary’s request that the Romanian side should reconsider its decision.

The verbal note said that Hungary’s request was not aimed at opening new consulates-general but consular offices under already operating consulates-general in Cluj (Kolozsvar) and Miercurea Ciuc (Csikszereda), the spokeswoman said.

At present Hungary operates a consular office at its embassy in Bucharest and consulates-general in Cluj and Miercurea Ciuc. Romania has an embassy and a consular office in Budapest, and consulates-general in Szeged and Gyula.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters