Romania has said it's up to Hungary how they approach the ethinc Hungarian community in the country during the 2018 general election campaign.
According to Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Romania raised no objection to Hungarian parties campaigning in Romania in the run-up to the election.
During an interview on TVR, Minister Szijjártó said his Romanian counterpart Teodor Meleșcanu approached the issue sensibly during talks in Bucharest recently. “He said: ‘It is up to you how successfully you address members of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian community during Hungary’s election campaign’; I hope that this sober approach will be maintained," he said.
”Romania has also recognized dual citizenship and granted it to many ethnic Romanians beyond its borders," Minister Szijjártó said. "This is why Romania has never made serious critical remarks about Hungary granting fast-track citizenship to ethnic kin," he added.
The minister said he hoped that “Hungary’s political parties will be wise enough not to resort to methods that may expose the Hungarian ethnic community to attacks by extremist or nationalist forces. We will make every effort to avoid this, all the more so because, for historical reasons, 2018 will be a year of key importance for Romania," Minister Szijjártó said.