Semjén attends Aug 20 celebration of ethnic Hungarians in Croatia

“Hungarians have survived the centuries because they followed the path of King St. Stephen, staying faithful to western Christianity but at the same time being dedicated to national sovereignty”, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén said on Thursday at a local celebration of the August 20 national holiday in Dalj (Dalya) in Croatia.

He noted the sufferings of local Croats and ethnic Hungarian communities during the Yugoslav wars of 1991-1994 and said the new community centre of Dalj is a symbol of the survival instinct of ethnic Hungarians in Croatia.

He expressed thanks to the Croatian government and the district authorities for their support in setting up the centre and added that ethnic Hungarians in Croatia can rely on the Hungarian government.

Sándor Jakab, the head of the Democratic Fellowship of Hungarians in Croatia (HMDK), which organised the celebratory event, called on ethnic Hungarians in Croatia and their leaders to show responsibility and endure.

Semjén placed a wreath on behalf of the Hungarian government at the local cemetery in commemoration of the innocent ethnic Hungarian victims of the Yugoslav wars and opened the local community centre which had received 80 million forints (EUR 260,000) support from the Hungarian government. He granted the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary to HMDK board member Tibor Szántó.

ce: ZsK

Source: MTI