President Novák’s Facebook post about the Szeklers outraged Romania
One of the biggest events of the Hungarian nation, the Csíksomlyó pilgrimage, was held over the weekend, and President of Hungary Katalin Novák was also among the attendees. The President is rather active on Facebook, and it seems that the Romanian Foreign Ministry is also watching her posts with a wary eye.
Katalin Novák’s followers were able to keep track of the main stops of her trip to Szeklerland. She also bowed her head at the tomb of the “greatest Szekler”, Balázs Orbán. On the Szék road from the Márton Áron College High School in Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc) to Csíksomlyó (Șumuleu), Katalin Novák joined hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims on their journey to the Csíksomlyó Church of the Holy Cross, which then headed to the mountain range between Kis and Nagysomlyó, where they all attended the traditional mass of the farewell.
The Romanian Foreign Ministry, however, did not seem to be particularly pleased about the visit. Even though President Novák was on a private trip, they believed that she had conveyed inappropriate messages to the public, for instance, in regard of a historical region of Romania.
According to the Agerpres news agency, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has also contacted Hungary’s ambassador in Bucharest discussing the matter. In a statement, they expressed that they objected to the posts published on the Facebook page of Katalin Novák. Furthermore, they pointed out that the Romanian side has repeatedly warned Hungarian officials visiting Romania to exercise restraint, but this time they failed to do so.
The Romanian government believes that the problematic statements run counter to the common desire of promoting an amicable neighbourly rapport and maintaining cooperation between the two countries, which is sanctioned by the treaty signed in Timisoara (Temesvár) in 1996 and in another agreement signed on the strategic partnership between the two countries, Agerpres reported.
Bucharest apparently has an issue with the summary video, which shows all sorts of pictures and details of the farewell ceremony, with the Szekler anthem playing in the background.
The Szekler anthem has been the source of several conflicts in Romania over the years. What adds to the issue is that Katalin Novák gave the following title to the video she posted:
“Don’t let Transylvania be lost, our God” (“Ne hagyd elveszni Erdélyt, Istenünk”).
This must have been the “inappropriate” message concerning a historic region that the Romanian Foreign Ministry cited and objected to.
In 2022, the Hungaricum Committee decided to include the Szekler anthem in the Hungarian Heritage List, making it a national treasure.
If you want to learn more about the people living in Transylvania, check out this recent discovery that sheds light on the eastern origins of the Szeklers.
UPDATE
Sándor Palace: Romania’s protest over Hungary president’s Sumuleu Ciuc visit ‘exaggerated’