RMDSZ

Stronger RMDSZ presence in Romania parliament would help bilateral ties, says Hungarian FM in Szeklerland

Hungary’s relationship with Romania would benefit from the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party increasing its presence in the Romanian parliament, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely) on Wednesday.

At a joint press conference with RMDSZ leader Hunor Kelemen, Szijjártó said he was not in Transylvania to meddle in Romania’s internal affairs, noting that Hungary was “careful to make sure that this doesn’t happen”. Hungary will respect the outcome of Romania’s elections, the minister said.

Szijjártó urged ethnic Hungarians to participate in Sunday’s elections, emphasising that “this is about the future of their community”. The stronger the Hungarian representation in Bucharest will be, the louder Hungarians’ voices will be when it comes to deciding on the future, he said.

Hungary has pragmatic reasons for wanting close relations with Romania, he said, noting that the neighbouring country was Hungary’s fourth most important export market.

Hungary exports more than 5.5 billion euros worth of goods and services to Romania each year, Szijjártó said.

The minister said good relations between Hungary and Romania were also good for Hungarians living in Romania and Romanians in Hungary.

“We believe that a stronger presence by the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party in the Romanian parliament would benefit bilateral cooperation,” Szijjártó said.

The minister said RMDSZ had told the Hungarian government that the best way it could help ethnic Hungarians was by offering economic support, as it benefits both the community and the region as a whole.

“I’d like to think that my Romanian colleagues also believe that an economically more prosperous Transylvanian Szekler Hungarian community is in Romania’s interest as much as it is in Hungary’s,” he said.

Asked to comment on the Romanian government’s decision to make economic support to ethnic Hungarians conditional on a written agreement between the two countries, Szijjártó said the government had paid close attention when devising the scheme to ensure that it is compatible with international, European and Romanian law. “So I can safely say that the programme is in line with Romanian, European and international law,” the minister said. “It’ll create jobs here, generate tax revenue for the budget and contribute to economic growth here.”

Read alsoRomania declares Trianon Day a national holiday!

Kelemen said he and the foreign minister had spent the day inspecting investment projects supported by the Hungarian government. They also laid a wreath at a recently inaugurated statue of Transylvanian Prince Gabriel Bethlen, he said.

Kelemen thanked Hungary’s ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance for their support and urged ethnic Hungarians to go to the polls this weekend, saying that there were no health risks involved in doing so.

Speaking about Hungary’s economic development scheme geared towards Transylvania earlier, Szijjártó said

the Hungarian government has disbursed some 70 billion forints (EUR 195.7m) among 6,000 local businesses, generating 135 billion forints’ worth of investments. This year, the government contributed 20 billion forints to 53 major agricultural investments worth a combined 40 billion forints, Szijjártó said.

Seeing the scheme’s success, the government has decided to disburse another 6.5 billion forints, he said, adding that more than 50 agricultural manufacturing companies have applied for support.

Read alsoSuperfast trains to connect Budapest with Warsaw and Cluj Napoca?

December 2, 2020

PM’s Office urges ethnic Hungarians to participate in Romania elections

Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, on Sunday urged ethnic Hungarians living in Romania to vote in the country’s general election next week.

Addressing a joint press conference with Botond Csoma, an MP candidate of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvar), Gulyás emphasised the importance of securing the strongest possible representation for the ethnic Hungarian community in the Romanian parliament.

“If RMDSZ will have many parliamentary seats it will be able to represent the interests of the Hungarian national minority in the issues that concern them,” Gulyás said. “That’s why it’s important to have a high turnout and that every Hungarian considers this election their own.”

Gulyás noted that the Hungarian community fell short of a second parliamentary seat by just over 100 votes four years ago. “This example illustrates just how much every vote counts,” he said.

Gulyás said it was up to Transylvania’s Hungarian community to make decisions for itself, which the Hungarian government would then support. He said RMDSZ had a clear vision for the next four years as well as the ability to represent the interests of the Hungarian community.

In response to a question, Gulyás said the reason why the Hungarian government wanted RMDSZ to be a part of the next Romanian government was because this would be beneficial to Transylvania’s Hungarian community.

Concerning Romania’s declaration of June 4, the day the treaty was signed, as a national holiday, the PM’s chief of staff said Hungary’s interests lay in having strong and successful neighbours. Gulyás said only “weak countries” declared anniversaries that are painful to a section of their citizens holidays.

“To us this is not only an unfriendly gesture but it also proves that Romania’s current leadership considers the Hungarian community living here second class citizens,” Gulyás said. “Our interests lie in a strong and confident Romania; one that respects the national minority, the individual and community rights of Hungarians living here and sees them the way we see minorities living in our country: as assets to the country’s economy and cultural diversity.”

Csoma said all the conditions were in place for RMDSZ and the Hungarian community to secure strong representation in parliament in the election.

Read alsoPM’s Office urges ethnic Hungarians to participate in Romania elections

November 29, 2020

European Commission proposes 6 month expansion for Szekler Council minority petition

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed that the deadline for the Szekler Council’s petition, aimed at ensuring European Union protection for ethnic regions across the bloc, be pushed out by six months, Justice Minister Judit Varga said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

The petition had already garnered 1 million signatures for the drive, but the coronavirus outbreak hindered collection of the required number in other member states, Varga noted. “Next to the organisers, I also turned to the Commission and asked for an extension … The Commission’s proposal would make it possible for further European citizens to support the initiative,” Varga said.

The European Parliament and Council will also have to approve the extension.

Lóránt Vincze, MEP of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, said that

the EC’s approval came “slightly late” but added that it was “fair”.

Vincze, who is the European Parliament’s rapporteur for civil initiatives, said he would work in Brussels to ensure that the EC proposal is passed as soon as possible, adding that the initiative would “promote participatory democracy and the interests of Europe’s citizens”.

Read alsoNATO-allies: Romania made the saddest day of the Hungarians a national holiday!

May 20, 2020

Romanian government loses censure motion

The Romanian government lost on Wednesday in a censure motion initiated by the main opposition Social Democrats, only three months after it taking office on Nov. 4.

The censure motion was supported by 261 votes, more than the required minimum of 233 votes, or 50 percent plus one in the 465-seat bicameral parliament. A total of 139 lawmakers voted against.

The cabinet led by National Liberal Party (PNL) leader Ludovic Orban became the fifth government to step down in Romania in the last 30 years.

The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies have convened in a joint meeting to discuss and vote on the censure motion “Orban/PNL government — privatisation of Romanian democracy”, which was signed also by MPs of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ/UDMR), after the government passed legislation on two-round mayoral elections ahead of the local elections slated for June.

As we wrote yesterday, Teodor Melescanu, president of the Romanian Senate, announced on Monday his resignation almost two weeks after the top court of the country ruled that his election to the position was unconstitutional, read more details HERE.

February 5, 2020

European Commission registers Minority SafePack initiative signatures

The European Commission said on Friday that it has registered the signatures collected in support of the Minority SafePack European Citizenship Initiative for Minorities in its online system.

The commission will now have six months to adopt an official position on the initiative which seeks European Union protection for indigenous national minorities in the bloc and to decide on the process of enshrining it into law.

The initiative will also be debated in the European Parliament.

The EC will also initiate a meeting between commissioners in charge of minority issues, the initiative’s petitioners and representatives of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN).

The signature drive initiated by Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party and coordinated by FUEN was launched in April 2017.

A total of 1,128,385 signatures were certified across the 28 EU member states over the year-long campaign.

January 11, 2020

Hungary, Romania would benefit from closer ties, says Minister Szijjártó

Closer ties between Hungary and Romania would benefit both countries and central Europe as a whole, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Arad, in western Romania, on Monday, at a joint press conference with Hunor Kelemen, the head of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party.

Szijjártó said that “positive gestures” towards the ethnic Hungarian community in Transylvania would strengthen inter-state ties, and consequently the countries’ role in the region. Hungary sees the ethnic Romanian community in Hungary as an important asset and continues to take steps to strengthen it, he said.

“We would expect the same from the Romanian leadership,” the minister said.

Concerning the Valea Uzului (Uzvolgye) memorial cemetery in Romania, a resting place of Hungarian WW1 soldiers where Szekler demonstrators clashed with Romanians earlier this year, the minister called on the Romanian government to delegate an “adequate negotiating partner” to the talks on setting the issue.

Hungary turns to CoE over Romania WWI shrine dispute

“We especially expect the Romanian government to prevent further provocation,” he said, referring to a commemoration announced by Romanian nationalist organisations at the same site for October 25.

Szijjártó called the third phase of Hungary’s economic development scheme for Transylvania a “great success”, with some 5,300 tenders submitted for some 21.5 billion forints (EUR 64.5m) funding. The fourth phase will be announced in November, with focus on the region just east of the Hungarian border, he said.

On another subject, Szijjártó called it “outrageous and a mockery of European democracy” that the Hungarian and Romanian commissioner-designates were rejected by the European Parliament’s legal affairs committee “for political reasons”.

Kelemen said his talks with Szijjártó focussed on the situation of the Hungarian community in Romania. He said the challenges for the ethnic Hungarian community would not change in the years to come.

“We also want a better country where our community, language and culture are respected. We also respect the majority and try to build the future together,” he said.

October 7, 2019

Foreign minister calls for action against ‘anti-Hungarian attacks’ in Romania

“Anti-Hungarian voices” have become louder and “attacks” on the Hungarian minority stronger within Romania’s political elite, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in parliament on Tuesday and called for measures.

Hungary’s diplomacy “cannot stay silent”, Szijjártó added. He argued that in the international arena “the Hungarian position cannot be untouched by anti-Hungarian attacks and provocations” when issues concerning Romania are discussed.

Hungary has sought “effective and pragmatic ties based on mutual trust” with Romania and will continue to do so, Szijjártó said, and argued that good bilateral ties benefit ethnic kin in the other country.

Szijjártó protested against recent developments at a commemoration in a WWI military cemetery at Valea Uzului (Úzvölgye) in Romania, and said it was unacceptable that “Hungarian officials that organised the event were punished” rather than those that violently disrupted the commemoration.

He noted that the Romanian side had erected concrete crosses over the graves of at least 20 Hungarian soldiers, and demanded that they should be removed.

The Hungarian government expects Romania to prosecute the perpetrators and “stop ethnic-based harassment of peaceful participants”.

Szijjártó also criticised Romania’s new public administration law, which, he said, would “throw Romania back by ten years” in terms of minority rights.

The Hungarian government stands by the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party in their efforts to preserve the acquired rights of Romania Hungarians, the minister added.

July 2, 2019

Shocking! Romanian nationalists attacked Hungarians protecting a WWII military cemetery in Szeklerland – photos, videos

They broke into and desecrated the WWII cemetery where Hungarian, German and Austrian soldiers rest, smashed several wooden crosses that marked the memory of fallen Hungarian heroes and beat up Hungarians protecting the cemetery with flagpoles and rods torn from the fence. Meanwhile, the Romanian gendarmerie did almost nothing; nobody was taken into custody yet because of what had happened, and the Romanian ambassador in Budapest refused to show up in the Hungarian foreign ministry and give an explanation as to what happened and why due to a higher order.

“Out with the Hungarians from the country!”

According to the newsletter of the Mikó Imre Minority Rights Legal Services Assistance, close to a thousand civilians and public personalities from Szeklerland formed a human chain around the military cemetery in the Úz Valley yesterday afternoon in order to inhibit Romanians from unlawfully breaking into the common graveyard, where the bodies of Austrian, German and Hungarian soldiers rest. Meanwhile, Romanian groups demanding the opening of the cemetery gate shouted

“out with the Hungarians from the country!”,

sang irredentist songs and yelled at Hungarians.

Hungarian military cemetery Szeklerland Romanian nationalists — The Hungarians were peacefully praying… Photo: MTI

The Romanian crowd was strongly influenced by alcohol and revolted then climbed on the fence, broke the cemetery gate, smashed several wooden crosses that marked the memory of Hungarian heroes, beat up Hungarians with flagpoles and rods torn from the fence, causing enormous damage both in a moral and physical sense. The Romanian authorities quickly lost control over the happenings, though Romanian foreign minister Teodor Meleșcanu previously promised his Hungarian counterpart that

they would do everything to prevent provocations

and physical abuse towards local Hungarians. However, though Romanian authorities were present at the scene, they were not able or would not like to protect the Hungarians, and yet, nobody has been arrested, and nobody has been taken into custody because of what happened.

The Romanian ambassador refused to give an explanation

Furthermore, representatives of Romanian political organisations also took part in the event, radicalising the civilians and sharing abusing texts against Hungarians on social media. Meanwhile, Hungarians were praying, and a lot of them even burst into tears because of what happened.

https://www.facebook.com/tamassandor1966/videos/350830832286796/

Hunor Kelemen, president of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), condemned the incident from Úz Valley and called the destruction of the cemetery a barbaric act. He said that the Hungarians did not provoke anyone but formed a human chain to protect the memory of their ancestors. He added that the

Romanian news televisions should put an end to misinformation and incitement

because it only leads to further conflicts. He also asked the Prime Minister to replace the Minister of Internal Affairs and the prefect of Harghita county, both of whom were responsible for letting such severe atrocities to take place.

According to MTI, Romania’s ambassador to Hungary has been summoned to the foreign ministry to account for what had happened but refused to comply, citing conflicting orders. On a press conference today, state Secretary Levente Magyar said about the refusal that it is “below all courtesy and friendship” and

“Romania has refused an opportunity for dialogue.”

In fact, the ministry already issued a diplomatic note of protest yesterday. Magyar added that Hungary still has a vested interest in a correct and good relationship with Romania to ensure the peaceful coexistence of Hungarians and Romanians.

Both government parties and Hungarian opposition parties Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary and Our Home Movement condemned the vandal destruction of the cemetery. The Romanian foreign ministry issued a statement today in which they would like their Hungarian counterpart to send a clear message towards Hungarians living in Romania to put an end to boosting further tensions. Thus, it is clear that the

Romanian government blames Hungarians for what happened yesterday.

Here is a video on what Romanian nationalists did in the cemetery after occupying it:

The antecedents

In fact, the local administration of the village of Dărmănești/Dormánfalva appropriated illegally the Hungarian military cemetery located in neighbouring Harghita county earlier this year. This is because a law from 1968 clearly states that the valley belongs to Sânmartin/ Csíkszentmárton, a Hungarian village in Harghita county, instead of Dărmănești/Dormánfalva, a Romanian settlement in Bacău county. The situation has worsened considerably after several Hungarians were taken in for questioning by the police, while the local administration of Dărmănești/Dormánfalva that illegally put up concrete crosses and monuments in the cemetery has still not been brought to account.

Árpád Antal, the president of the Szekler Council of Local Representatives, declared then that “we, Transylvanian Hungarians, are citizens with full rights of both Europe and Romania, and we do not accept to be treated as second-class citizens in our homeland. Asking for the situation of the military cemetery in Valea Uzului/Úz-völgye to be settled, for the violation of the rights of our community to cease and for those responsible to be brought to justice is a legitimate demand, one that we will not give up.”

On the 16th of May, an unknown group of people covered the crosses that had been illegally put up by the local government of Dărmănești/Dormánfalva with black sacks. Although members of the Hungarian community immediately removed the sacks, and the Szekler Council of Local Representatives qualified the act as an obvious provocation, distancing themselves from both the persons committing the act, as well as the act itself, the Romanian media and some politicians took the opportunity to initiate a hate campaign against Hungarians.

The cemetery located in Valea Uzului/Úz-völgye (Valley of Uz) was the site of several battles during World War II. In fact, many Hungarian and German, but no Romanian soldiers are buried there. The cemetery has come to be almost like a place of pilgrimage, not only for Hungarians living in Transylvania but for all Hungarians.

June 8, 2019

Hungary committed to strengthening central European cooperation, says Orbán in Romania

Hungary is working to strengthen cooperation in central Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday in Sanpaul (Kerelőszentpál), in central Romania, adding that “all that cooperate with the Hungarians” will benefit.

Addressing the opening ceremony of a fodder plant built by UBM Feed Romania, Orbán said that Hungary has developed an excellent economic cooperation with Serbia and Slovakia, and “the lag in Hungary-Romania ties could also be fixed”.

“Central Europe is made up of nations and the realisation can no longer be delayed that these peoples have a shared destiny, they are linked by shared interests and they must choose the way of cooperation,” Orbán said.

Orbán called for more infrastructural links, motorways and railway services, between Hungary and Romania, and said that talks with the Romanian government were under way.

A high-speed railway is needed between the two capitals, which would also provide economic benefits for Cluj (Kolozsvár), Orbán said.

Referring to the importance of the upcoming European parliamentary elections, Orbán said the region needed European leaders and deputies who “will stand up for Hungarian, Romanian, and central European interests”.

Closing his speech, the prime minister encouraged voters to cast their ballot in the election and “be a part of Europe and use its opportunities”.

Hunor Kelemen, head of the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, called the Hungarian government an ally and said that “where there is an alliance, there are common causes and shared achievements”.

Kelemen welcomed the new plant, built at a cost of 15 million euros, and said that creating new jobs was a way of helping a community survive and prosper.

Devastating statistics! Hungarian population in Transylvania decreasing rapidly

May 10, 2019

EP elections – Orbán calls for voter participation, support for RMDSZ in Translyvania

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called on voters to participate in the upcoming European Parliament elections and asked ethnic Hungarians to support the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), in Sibiu (Nagyszeben), in central Romania, on Thursday.

Arriving at an informal meeting of EU heads of state and government, Orbán told reporters that

“first of all, I want to campaign among ethnic Hungarians, and generally among all Romanian citizens, to turn up for this vote of great importance for Romania, Hungary and all European countries.”

“Secondly, one always comes to Romania to improve Romanian-Hungarian relations. We would like to see tighter cooperation between the two countries and the two peoples,” he said.

“Thirdly, I want to ask ethnic Hungarians living here to vote for the RMDSZ list,” Orbán said.

“And finally, the summit will focus on the future of Europe. Of course, considering the options will continue even thereafter as decisions will only be made after the elections, in awareness of the voters’ position,” he said.

As we wrote yesterday, PM Orbán discussed preparations for the upcoming European parliamentary elections with the leader of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party in Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvár.

May 9, 2019

Orbán, RMDSZ leader discuss EP election preparations

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed preparations for the upcoming European parliamentary elections with the leader of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár) on Wednesday.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Hunor Kelemen, Orbán urged ethnic Hungarians in Romania to vote for RMDSZ’s candidates to ensure a stronger representation of Hungarians in Brussels. He said he was optimistic about the election about both his Fidesz party and RMDSZ having “good chances”.

Asked about Fidesz’s membership in the European People’s Party, Orbán said that it was Fidesz that had suggested that it should not exercise its voting rights in the EPP as long as open issues are settled. “We suspended our participation,” he said, and added that “we are not going to wait for the EPP to make a decision, but will go ahead and make one on our own”.

“What matters is not the EPP, but where Fidesz will find its place to appropriately represent Hungarian interests in a new European political situation following the election,”

he said. Fidesz’s decision will fundamentally depend on the direction in which the EPP decides to go, he added.

Orbán said the EPP was preparing to enter into a strategic alliance with the European Left. This was unacceptable, Orbán said, and argued that “the entirety of the European Left has adopted a pro-migration stance”. Meanwhile, he said, stopping migration was the most important issue in central Europe. Orbán said this was the dilemma that would have to be resolved after the election.

The EPP, he suggested, should follow Austria’s model, in which an EPP member made a coalition with a party on its right and “they are governing that country well”.

On another subject, Orbán said that bilateral ties with Serbia and Slovakia were “very good” but added that “it cannot be said about Hungary-Romania relations”. Hungary has recently made “spectacular progress” and the country “uses its increasing economic prowess to improve neighbourly relations”. That is why the Hungarian government has signed several agreements and launched joint projects with Serbia and Slovakia, he said. He voiced hope that a “similarly confidential” relationship could be developed with the Romanian government in the interest of meeting shared goals. He thanked Romania for its “excellent controls” over the EU’s external borders, and said that

Romania has demonstrated that it is worthy of becoming a member of the Schengen system.

Concerning migration, Orbán said that “those that make it clear that migrants should not cross the sea without permits and registration will save lives”. Since Italian deputy PM Matteo Salvini has warned against leaving Africa, the number of migrants and lives lost at sea “has radically decreased”, Orbán said. “This policy has saved more lives than another luring migrants to set off,” he added.

Speaking at the joint press conference with Orbán, RMDSZ head Hunor Kelemen stressed the importance of Transylvania Hungarians being present in the EP. He said both RMDSZ and Fidesz were involved in a campaign, adding that it was natural for the two parties to assist one another.

The RMDSZ leader said strong Hungarian representation in the EP was in the interest of all Hungarians, arguing that the EU was on the verge of changes that concerned all of its citizens.

“A smart person will try to influence change,” he said.

May 9, 2019

MEPs call on EPP to condemn Ukraine’s banning ethnic Hungarian leader

Several Hungarian MEPs have called on Joseph Daul, head of the European People’s Party, to condemn Ukraine’s recent banning from its territory Hunor Kelemen, head of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ.

In a letter to Daul, Andrea Bocskor and László Tőkés, MEPs of ruling Fidesz, as well as MEPs of other Hungarian parties in and outside Hungary, called for “actual measures to ensure that Ukraine’s authorities stop harassing Hungarian politicians and stop hindering communication between Hungarians”.

“We seek to support Ukraine on its way to Europe and wish to see real, positive changes in terms of democracy and ethnic minority rights,” signatories to the letter wrote.

Kelemen was banned from Ukraine for 18 months earlier in April. He had been on his way to Uzhhorod (Ungvár) to attend a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of ethnic Hungarian organisation KMKSZ when he was stopped at the border and denied entry without an explanation. Read more details here.

April 17, 2019

European Commission ‘pressure’ increases migration risk, says Hungarian FM in Luxembourg

Risks around migration are further aggravated by “strong pressure” by the European Commission “to promote the migration process”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Luxembourg on Monday.

Speaking to Hungarian journalists after meeting his European Union counterparts, Szijjártó said “an uncertain situation in Afghanistan and developments in Libya pose a serious risk to Europe in terms of migration pressure on the continent”.

European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, who is in charge of the community’s migration policy, “aims to legalise migration rather than stopping it,” Szijjártó said, adding that the commissioner’s measures “are exclusively aimed at bringing more and more migrants to Europe”.

As regards the United Nations’ global migration compact, Szijjártó said the EU’s sole aim was to use the document as a pretext to legalise illegal migration.

The European Commission‘s messaging regarding the document, he said, was that more and more migrants should be brought to Europe.

This is “unacceptable” for Hungary, the minister said, adding that it would mean Europe giving up its identity, and it would pose serious cultural and security risks for the bloc.

If the EC sticks to its current stance on migration, then the situation in Libya and Afghanistan, coupled with the situation of the large numbers of migrants stranded along the Western Balkan route and in Greece, could generate more mass migration waves towards Europe, Szijjártó said.

Hungary wants to stop this migration process rather than legalise it, he said, adding that the EU’s migration debate would be decided in next month’s European parliamentary elections.

On the subject of Ukraine, and specifically the country’s language and minority education laws, Szijjártó said there was “no hope for progress under the current administration”.

He slammed the Ukrainian authorities for not allowing Hunor Kelemen, leader of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, to enter the country on Saturday for the 30th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ), calling the move “a provocation”.

“The move is a provocation of Hungarians and Romanians, which is no accident, because it was the Romanian and Hungarian governments that stood up most firmly in the interest of protecting Ukraine’s national minorities,” he said.

Szijjártó voiced hope that after Ukraine’s presidential election, Hungary’s “pro-Ukrainian government” would be met by a “pro-Hungarian administration” in its north-eastern neighbour.

April 8, 2019

Hungary’s foreign ministry summons Ukraine ambassador

The foreign ministry on Monday summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to Hungary concerning Ukraine’s decision to ban a Romanian-Hungarian leader from entering the country.

In a statement protesting against “yet another anti-Hungarian provocation”, the ministry said Ukraine’s “constant anti-Hungarian measures are unacceptable”.

Ukraine’s leaders “consider Hungarians as enemies, which is outrageous and unacceptable,” the statement said.

“Despite Ukraine’s dishonest measures” the Hungarian government is providing humanitarian aid to the country, it added.

Hunor Kelemen, head of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, said on Saturday that he had been banned from entering Ukraine for 18 months. He was on his way to Uzhhorod (Ungvár) to attend a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of ethnic Hungarian organisation KMKSZ, when he was stopped at the border and denied entry without an explanation. Read more details HERE.

HUNGARY OPENS 370 CRIMINAL CASES AGAINST UKRAINIANS FOR CITIZENSHIP FRAUD

April 8, 2019

HUN vs. UKR: Kiev does not let the leader of the Hungarians living in Romania enter Ukraine

Slovakia banned even singing the Hungarian national anthem on sports events or school celebrations, now Ukraine continued with not letting Hunor Kelemen enter the country. In fact, the leader of the Transylvanian Hungarians wanted to go to a celebration of local Hungarians, and Ukrainian authorities did not say anything about why they did not let him enter the country. Furthermore, it seems that their ambassador to Romania is lying.

He wanted to celebrate together with local Hungarians

Hunor Kelemen told MTI that he wanted to cross the border with his Romanian diplomatic passport at Záhony-Csap but, after more than an hour long senseless waiting, he was told that he is

banned from the country until 13 October 2020.

Mr Kelemen was given a Ukrainian record and a stamp in his passport that he cannot enter the country for a one-and-a-half-year period – kronika.ro, a Transylvanian Hungarian news outlet reported.

The president of the ethnic Hungarian party of the Transylvanian Hungarians RMDSZ (Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania) said in a Facebook post that he wanted to travel to Uzhhorod (Ungvár, Sub-Carpathia, Ukraine) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Cultural Alliance of Hungarians in Sub-Carpathia. “I would have liked to talk about the long road we have walked together, all the Hungarian nations in the Carpathian Basin, from the fall of the communist dictatorship up until now, and about today’s challenges” – he added.

Hunor Kelemen told Mediafax, a Romanian news agency, that he has not been to Ukraine for more than 20 years. He added that

it cannot be allowed that Ukraine bans a Romanian citizen without any explanations.

He said he had informed the Romanian foreign minister of the matter and would complain and seek an explanation at the Ukrainian embassy in Bucharest on Monday.

Is the Ukrainian ambassador lying?

According to the Ukrainian ambassador to Romania, Hunor Kelemen was banned from Ukraine in 2017, and the chairman of RMDSZ already tried to get to the country since then. The diplomat called the situation “absolutely awkward but natural” in one of his Facebook posts and added that the ban of Mr Kelemen is in effect since 3 November 2017. He also said that Kelemen wanted to enter Ukraine

with his Hungarian passport since then.

“Therefore, he knew the decision of the Ukrainian authorities well” – Oleksandr Bankov concluded. According to Mr Bankov, it is a common practice in Europe that a country does not give an explanation regarding a ban. “Of course, I am open and regard it as an honour to give further explanation to Mr Hunor Kelemen” – he said.

Mr Kelemen said in a new post that Oleksandr Bankov’s statement, which says that he previously tried to enter Ukraine with a Hungarian passport, is not true. He added that

in the past 20 years, he has not been to Ukraine

and he had never used a Hungarian passport. “I can present the documents of today’s incident. So, I ask Mr Oleksandr Bankov, the Ukrainian Ambassador, to also present the similar documents which supposedly banned my previous entry to Ukraine” – he concluded.

Mr Kelemen told Digi24, a Romanian TV station, that

he does not even have a Hungarian passport.

He added that what happened to him harms the Romanian-Ukrainian basic treaty which says that it is the right of each ethnic minority living in the two countries to maintain relationships. About the possible reasons, he said that he – together with other Romanian politicians – raised a voice against the discriminative new Ukrainian law on education.

MTI wrote that Hungary’s foreign ministry had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to a meeting on Monday to address the ban on Mr Kelemen’s entry to Ukraine. Foreign Ministry state secretary Tamas Menczer added that

the entry ban was “unacceptable” and “anti-Hungarian”.

Not the first time

This is not the first time Ukraine bans Hungarian politicians from the country. As we reported before, in 2015, President Petro Poroshenko banned

Marton Gyongyosi, Jobbik MP and Vice President of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee
Adrienn Szaniszlo, foreign associate of Jobbik
Gabor Szeles, businessman, owner of Echo TV and Magyar Hirlap
Ferenc Szaniszlo, Echo TV presenter, and
Gabor Gyoni, editor of oroszvilag.hu, lecturer and fellow researcher of ELTE Department of Russian Studies.

In 2014, Kiev banned Jobbik MP István Szávay. Earlier, Protestant pastor Jr. Lorant Hegedus had a similar incident.

This is not the first scandal in connection with the Hungarian minorities this week. From 15 May,

even singing the Hungarian national anthem will be punishable

by a EUR 7,000 fine, for example, at football matches or school celebrations in Slovakia where half a million Hungarians live in one block in the southern part of the country because of the peace treaties after WWI and WWII. However, now it seems that the Slovak President will not sign the related bill.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/KelemenHunor

April 7, 2019

Hungary open to debate on state of rule of law, says Minister Trócsányi in Bucharest

Hungary is open to any debate on the status of the rule of law in the country, but these debates ought to be based on professional arguments rather than politically motivated accusations, the justice minister said in Bucharest, following an informal meeting of EU justice ministers on Friday.

Lászl Trócsányi told Hungarian public media that he held bilateral talks with EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, as well as with the EU affairs minister and the senate leader of Romania, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Trocsanyi told his negotiating partners that

the Hungarian government rejects double standards applied against the country and calls for a debate that is not politically motivated concering the EU’s Article 7 procedure launched against it.

The justice minister said he had met Hunor Kelemen, the head of the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party, to discuss preparations for the upcoming European parliamentary elections.

February 9, 2019

Orbán cabinet: Hungary attacked for immigration policy in EU

The European Parliament election campaign is not the forum to chew over the politically motivated Article 7 procedure launched against Hungary, a government official said in Bucharest. But, in this respect at least, European Union presidency-holder Romania “does not lack good will” towards Hungary, Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, said.

After meeting George Ciamba, the Romanian minister for European affairs, Gulyás said Article 7 had been launched against Hungary by pro-migration forces in European Parliament who disfavoured the country’s policy on migration.

“We’re hopeful the May [EP] elections will bring about a shift in powers relations … [and] the procedure won’t last long,” he said.

The standpoints on migration of Romania and Hungary are similar, he said, adding that illegal migration “should be prevented”. A key goal of the Romanian presidency is to join the Schengen area with no internal border controls. For this reason, Hungary’s view is the Schengen issue should not be linked to other preconditions, he said.

Gulyás said several salient issues of direct relevance to Hungary were on the Romanian EU presidency’s agenda, some with overlapping Hungarian-Romanian interests, such as the budget for the next seven-year EU cycle. Cohesion and farm subsidies should not be reduced and monies lost due to Brexit should be compensated for by increased in-payments by member states, he added.

“It’s also clearly in our common interest that no tension between southern and central Europe should emerge to impede adoption of the budget,” he said. “So we believe that the budget proposals on the table are not suitable to be accepted at this point.”

“But it’s not a matter of indifference which of the most important issues are decided when, and these issues must be defined during Romania’s presidency,” Gulyás said.

Meanwhile, Gulyás noted that he and Kelemen Hunor, the ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ leader, had discussed preparations for EP elections. “We hope the RMDSZ will be strongly represented in the EP while Hungarian representation in the EP also strengthens within the [European People’s Party],” he said.

February 5, 2019

Hungary urges Romania Hungarians to resubmit ethnic minority bill

Ethnic Hungarian organisations in Romania should jointly rework an ethnic minority bill that has been “stuck” in the Romanian parliament for over 10 years, Katalin Szili, the Hungarian prime minister’s commissioner, said in an interview published in Romanian daily Bihari Napló on Wednesday.

In the interview, Szili suggested that Romania Hungarians work together on an education bill, too, and added that “Hungarian deputies should promote a position in the Romanian legislation which is backed by the whole Hungarian community.”

Concerning endeavors to achieve territorial autonomy for ethnic Hungarians living in a large bloc in Romania, Szili noted that ethnic Hungarian parties RMDSZ, MPP, and SZNT now agreed that, geographically, the desired status should cover the historical area of Szeklerland. Whether Romania’s constitution should be amended to grant autonomy to that region “can be decided when we are at the bridge; we should cross it once we have at all established dialogue with the Romanian majority”, she added.

Szili said she hoped that the Romanian government would realise that the Hungarian community is not seeking ways to break away from Romania but “to achieve self-government and self-determination within the Romanian state based on the European Union’s subsidiarity principle”.

“I ask the Romanian government and state for nothing other than to consider leaders of the Hungarian communities as partners and at least sit down with them and clarify the terminology,” Szili said in her interview.

THE TRANSYLVANIAN REFORMED CHURCH IS NOT GIVING UP THE FIGHT – Read HERE!

January 16, 2019