The UN lays much emphasis on the protection of the language rights of indigenous and national minorities; Hungary firmly supports these aspirations of the world organisation, and takes action to protect the rights of Hungarian national minorities beyond the borders, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated. On Tuesday, the Minister addressed the UN General Assembly at a high-level event that marked the closing of the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Speaking to the Hungarian news agency MTI by telephone, Mr Szijjártó drew attention to the fact that Hungary is a country where the borders of the nation and those of the country itself do not coincide. Therefore, for us it is particularly important that the UN also protect the rights of national minorities and indigenous minorities.

“The Hungarians who live beyond the borders did not migrate to their current place of residence; they have always lived there. It is one of the consequences of history that today as Hungarians they live in the territories of other countries. Their rights must be defended. Hungary has always taken firm action, and will continue to do so also in the future in the interest of protecting the rights of Hungarian national communities beyond the borders,” the Minister said.

He highlighted that for national communities and minorities language is clearly the most important means for preserving their identity and culture, and so it is necessary to pay close attention to ensuring that the rights of national communities beyond the borders attached to the use of the Hungarian language cannot curtailed by anyone.

In the Carpathian Basin and in Central Europe there are both positive and negative examples in this respect. Serbia must be mentioned as a positive example where the Hungarian national community enjoys by far the most rights from among neighbouring countries. The Hungarian community in Vojvodina is involved in national decision-making, and is seen as an important resource in relations between the two countries.

Mr Szijjártó mentioned Ukraine as a negative example where the rights of the Hungarian national minority have recently been breached systematically; rights which are related to education in the mother tongue and the use of the mother tongue in general. He pointed out that the international community cannot tolerate systematic breaches of this nature; we cannot tolerate the fact that in recent years Ukraine has adopted a number of laws which take away rights from Hungarians which existed earlier; rights which are related to education in the mother tongue and the use of the mother tongue in general.

“We expect the incumbent Ukrainian leadership to respect and honour Ukraine’s international undertakings as well as the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia to the use of the mother tongue and education, and to comply with the Venice Commission’s decisions which make it clear that the new minority language law must not be applied in Ukraine until a general legislative act regarding minorities is adopted,” Mr Szijjártó laid down.

(MTI)