The fate of the Csángó Hungarians holds up an imaginary mirror to all Hungarians and all Europeans, said House Speaker László Kövér.Continue reading
The Hungarian Government is convinced that successful nation building can only be achieved by involving all members of the nation, said Lőrinc Nacsa, State Secretary for National Policy at the Prime Minister’s Office, on Saturday in Prague at a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Hungarians in Czech Republic.
“That is why it is important that there are vibrant communities all over the world where Hungarians live, communities that value their mother tongue and traditions and strive to strengthen their national identity,” the State Secretary emphasized.
I am delighted that, thanks to the Association of Hungarians in Czech Republic, those who treasure these values can find a home here in the Czech Republic, because this allows us not only to survive but also to grow stronger,”
he stated.
The Association, the largest and only national organization of Hungarians in the Czech Republic, commemorated its 35th anniversary at a festive meeting in Prague on Saturday. The State Secretary praised their work to date and on behalf of the Hungarian Government, wished the organization and the Hungarians in the Czech Republic further success. “I can assure you that, as has been the case for the past 15 years, you can continue to count on the support of the Hungarian Government and the State Secretariat for National Policy,” Lőrinc Nacsa concluded his speech.
Before the ceremonial meeting, the State Secretary met with the leaders of the Association. Anna Rákóczi, national president of the organization, and several other members of the leadership informed Lőrinc Nacsa about their activities and expressed their gratitude for the support received from the Hungarian Government. The ceremonial meeting was attended by András Baranyi, Hungarian Ambassador to Prague, and Hajnal Kassai, director of the Liszt Institute in Prague. The Hungarians in the Czech Republic were greeted by representatives of the Slovak CSEMADOK, a cultural society of ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, and representatives of the Czech Ministry of Culture were also present.
The Association of Hungarians in Czech Republic was founded in 1990, and is still the largest and most influential organization of the approximately 11,000 Hungarians living in the Czech Republic.
It currently operates in seven local associations in Brno, Karlovy Vary, Lovosice, Pilsen, Prague, Ostrava, and Teplice. It has around 400-450 members. The organization publishes a public affairs and cultural magazine called Prague Mirror (Prágai Tükör) six times a year with a circulation of 1,000 copies, which is the only national Hungarian-language newspaper in the Czech Republic.
The Association is represented in the National Minority Council operating alongside the Czech government and in the committee dealing with minorities within the Ministry of Culture and Education. It also participates in the work of the Hungarian Diaspora Council and is a member of the West European Federation of Hungarian Country Organizations.
Via MTI, Featured photo via Pixabay