“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade summoned Romania’s Ambassador to Budapest following the events in Úzvölgy (Valea Uzului), but in an unparalleled manned in diplomacy, he refused to enter into dialogue”, Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar said in Budapest on Friday.

“After Romanian extremists vandalised the Hungarian military cemetery and anti-Hungarian provocation occurred, we sent a letter of protest and summoned the Romanian Ambassador, who ‘despite all courtesy and friendship’, refused to enter into dialogue citing central orders”, Mr. Magyar highlighted. “Romania has refused the opportunity to enter into dialogue”, he declared.

“Hungary’s primary interest remains the maintaining of good relations with Romania so Hungarians and Romanians can live in peace in Transylvania”, he emphasised. “In the interests of this we have made major compromises recently, primarily driven by what best serves the advancement of Transylvanian Hungarians in the land of their birth”, he pointed out.

According to the Deputy Minister, the question now arises: what to do next? Has Romania’s intent to construct good relations been called into question? “Romanian law enforcement forces looked on passively as the graves were vandalised and the angry Romanian attackers hit the peaceful Hungarian protesters”, he stated, adding that for the moment there is information concerning three or four people who were lightly injured.

“All this happened in a country that is currently the President of the Council of the European Union, and which was visited by the Pope just a few days ago”, he pointed out.

“Hungary expects Romania to thoroughly investigate this ‘abominable incident’ and provide a credible explanation of how the events were able to occur”, Mr. Magyar highlighted.

In late April, the Hungarian minority in Transylvania were faced with the fact that the local government of the nearby town of Dormánfalva (Dărmănești) had arbitrarily established a Romania plot in the First World War Hungarian military cemetery in Úzvölgy. On Thursday, thousands of Romanian commemorators arrived at the cemetery to take part in the inauguration of the new memorial.

Local Hungarians attempted to prevent the ceremony by forming a human chain, but the Romanians forced their way into the cemetery.

On Thursday, the Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister informed the press that the Hungarian Government had delivered a letter of protest to the Romanian Cabinet because of the events at the military cemetery in Úzvölgy.

(MTI)