“We should not shy away from using the toughest possible diplomatic tools in representation of Hungarian interests”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in an interview published in Wednesday’s edition of Transylvanian daily Krónika.

The Minister cited the fact that Hungary is not supporting Croatia’s membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) while Croatia continues to introduce measures that go against Hungary’s economic interests and violate international law, and the fact that Hungary has made it clear with regard to Ukraine’s recently amended Educating Act that it will be blocking all possible Ukrainian aspirations at international organisations, as measures that are indicative of Hungary’s interest-based foreign policy, pointing out that Hungary is also blocking Romani’s OECD membership for similar reasons until a long-term solution is found to the Marosvársárhely (Targu Mures) school affair.

“We must not be afraid to act and must put behind us the outdated foreign policy that knew only how to cringe and was frightened of conflicts. Our current patriotic foreign policy is prepared to go to extremes in the interests of reinforcing the country and Hungarian communities living beyond our borders”, the Minister stated.

According to Mr. Szijjártó, the events of recent weeks have clearly indicated the extent to which Hungary and Romania are dependent on each other, citing economic relations between the two countries and the joint international representation of interests as areas in which such interdependence exists. He pointed to joint action with regard to Ukraine’s Education Act as a good example of the latter.

“Both parties have finally realised that our opportunities, capabilities, close proximity and the ties that link us should not be used to each other’s detriment, but to each other’s advantage. If this rational realisation can rise to the highest possible levels of government politics in both capital cities beginning with the letter “b”, then our interdependence will enable us to achieve many things jointly, and the two countries and the two minorities could profit a lot from this”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.

The Romanian authorities are open and seem well-intentioned with relation to Hungary’s economic development programme for Transylvania, after the Hungarian party made it clear to them that it wants to achieve exactly the same thing as the German state is doing with Transylvanian Saxons, he told the press. The Minister expressed his hope that the situation concerning the issuing of identification cars for Hungarian diplomats serving at the consulate generals in Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc) and Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) would soon be resolved, and that the new Chief Consul in Cluj-Napoca would receive his operating permit, adding that only one or two bureaucratic diplomatic tasks remain to also enable the establishment of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in the city.

“I don’t want to make any rash statements, but my feeling is that for the first time many years the Romanian side is now showing the greatest level of openness to enabling our system of relations to develop to a level of intelligence that befits European standards”, the Minister said.

In reply to a question concerning the fact that Romanian shapers of public opinion often attempt to create a link between good Hungarian-Russian relations and SzeklerLand’s autonomy aspirations and the support they receive from Budapest, Mr. Szijjártó declared: “It is the sworn duty of the Hungarian Government to stand up for Hungarian national communities living beyond our borders, irrespective of whether or not one of their neighbours happens to be an international superpower”.

“We would stand up for our international communities to the same extent if our relations with Russia were bad. Hungarian foreign policy doesn’t represent the interests of Washington, Brussels, of Moscow; Hungarian foreign policy represents Hungarian interests. I know this was not always the case, but as long as I am the one filling the post of Foreign Minister it will definitely remain so”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.

(MTI)