Conflicting Romanian-Hungarian Political Statements

The main message sent by Gabor Vona to the 1.4 million Hungarian ethnics in Romania was the need to carry on the struggle for regional autonomy within the Romanian state.

The former leader of the Hungarian Guard extremist movement, banned in 2009, said it was Hungary’s duty to plead for autonomy before the EU and that Jobbik party will defend the rights and interests of the Hungarians in Transylvania, even if that entailed a conflict with Romania.

The Romanian government was quick to respond, and firmly condemned Vona’s statements, mentioning that autonomy on ethnic criteria is not among the European standard policies for national minorities. At the same time, Bucharest views the statement about a possible conflict between Hungary and Romania as extremely serious, obsolete and condemnable.

The President of Romania, Traian Basescu, also made a point of expressing his views on the statements that several Hungarian politicians made repeatedly, on Romanian territory. According to the head of the Romanian state, a number of practices reminding of Stalin’s era have turned Hungary into a factor of instability in the region.

Traian Basescu: “Several countries are concerned with Budapest’s aggressive minority policy. Romania has so far been reserved about it, but we believe a point has been reached when we need to leave our reserves aside and when Budapest must be taught its place.”

In response to the statements made by the Romanian president, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said Hungary was committed to maintaining stability in the region and to guaranteeing the rights of ethnic minorities.

President Basescu’s harsh statements took the leaders of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania by surprise, particularly considering that this party supported Basescu in the latest presidential election. Here is the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor.

Kelemen Hunor: “When a head of state makes such a statement, things become complicated, and we don’t need this, particularly when it comes to Romania and Hungary and the relations between them. However, any statement or position of the kind Vona made must be denounced.”

This indicates that politicians in Romania have at least one common view, namely that in the 21st Century nationalist and extremist parties are no longer acceptable in any society.