Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has urged the Hungarian minority in Romania to vote in Sunday's parliamentary election there and to "speak up for their own interests."
The prime minister said he "would like to see a situation in Romania in which Hungarians cannot be ignored.". He stressed that Hungarians in Romania must stand up for their interests, adding that the strength of the Hungarian community in Romania also has a major impact on the quality of Romanian-Hungarian cooperation.
“We feel that Hungarians living here are not always given the respect they deserve, and we also feel that those in power in Romania do not assist in removing all possible obstacles to their development," he stated.
The prime minister made the comments during a visit to western Romania, home to a large Hungarian minority yesterday.
Peter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, recently banned Hungarian diplomats from participating in Romania's national day celebrations on December 1, commemorating the 1918 incorporation into Romania of Transylvania, an area long dominated by Hungary.
The ban drew a sharp rebuke from former President Traian Basescu, who asked Hungary not to provoke Romania "because we also have our limits." Additionally, Basescu called for the expulsion of Hungary's ambassador to Romania. PM Orbán said Hungary was now ready "to give as good as we get."
PM Orbán met Hungarian minority leaders in Satu Mare, Romania, where he praised Hunor Kelemen, head of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, for creating "the widest possible unity for this election."