The ideas conceived at the Bálványos Summer Open University and Student Camp created the foundations for the most important achievements of Hungary’s national policy, State Secretary for National Policy Árpád János Potápi said in Tusnádfürdő at the opening of the series of events commonly referred to as Tusványos.

The State Secretary argued: from the status law to providing educational support for Hungarian communities, from dual citizenship to the wording of the new Fundamental Law, a number of creative ideas were conceived at the national policy camps held in the Carpathian Basin, and in particular, in Tusványos which led the way for policy-makers in their constructive work.

Mr Potápi took the view: similar to the 16-17th century, the territorially scattered Hungarian community is in an historic situation when it is required to re-define itself and to seek points of reference which may create the foundations for the constructive efforts of the next few centuries. As he said, Tusványos may give an opportunity to do just that.

Zsolt Németh, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, who is one of the founders of Tusványos which is 25 years old this year, pointed out in the context of seeking new paths at the current junction: in the fight between the forces of stability and instability, Hungary is on the side of stability. There is a war going on in Ukraine, and the civilised world is facing a series of brutal acts of terrorism and, in the wake of that, a genuine process of mass migration, he said.

Zsolt Németh takes the view that in the new geopolitical situation which is currently unfolding, Hungary is supporting Europe’s external stability with its commitment to NATO, by urging the establishment of a European defence union and a European energy union, as well as with its participation in the conception of a common European migration and refugee policy.

On the other hand, Mr Németh believes that Europe’s internal stability is being threatened by a process of “reddening” in the southern states (in this context he referred to the strengthening of the Syriza party in Greece and the Podemos party in Spain) and a process of „browning” in the northern states, i.e. the wider spread of xenophobia. In this situation, it is down to Central-Europe to renew the model of European cohabitation, Mr Németh said.

Secretary of State for National Policy Árpád János Potápi and Zsolt Németh, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament at the opening of the 26th Bálványos Summer Open University and Student Camp (Tusványos) in Tusnádfürdő, Transylvania on 22 July 2015. MTI Fotó: Szilárd Koszticsák.

Tibor T. Toró, Vice-President of the Hungarian People’s Party of Transylvania (EMNP), another founder of Tusványos promised his audience: the workshop work which seeks to find answers to the challenges of Hungarian national policy will also continue at this year’s open university as Tusványos „is more than just a mere festival”, and has now become an institution such as the Barcelona football club for the people of Catalonia.

Krisztina Sándor, Acting President of the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania, coordinator of the political programmes of Tusványos remarked: there is no stage debate of Transylvanian Hungarian party leaders at the camp this year because Hunor Kelemen, President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) declined the invitation, and therefore the leader of the Hungarian Civic Party (MPP) has not even been approached. She added: the prefects of Szeklerland (local representatives of the Government in Bucharest) likewise did not wish to avail themselves of the opportunity of stating why Hungarian symbols irritate them, and the representatives of the Bucharest Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the leaders of the anti-corruption prosecution service were not eager to attend the Tusványos event either.

The open university therefore greatly appreciates the open stance of the Romanian intellectuals, the „autonomists” of Transylvania who came to attend the university also this year, she stressed.

In Tusványos the event tents of twenty partner institutions await visitors with hundreds of programmes until the end of the week, and on Saturday a political forum will be held with the participation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the Tusnádfürdő sports field.

(MTI)