The Hungarian government pays close attention to the situation of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, and makes every effort to ensure that they feel safe in their native land, Árpád János Potápi, state secretary for national policy, said after meeting with László Zubánics, President of the Hungarian Democratic Alliance in Ukraine. Consultations between the Hungarian Government, interest representations in Transcarpathia and charitable organisations will remain continuous also in the future, with a view to providing assistance that is best suited to the needs on the ground, Potápi said.
The coordinated cooperation of the Hungarian community during the course of the municipal elections expected to be held in Ukraine in the autumn of 2015 will be key to the enforcement of Hungarian interests in Transcarpathia, the state secretary said. The Hungarian Government supports the demand of Hungarian interest representations in Transcarpathia for the formation of a public administration unit that encompasses the majority of localities inhabited by Hungarians as part of the contemplated public administration reforms in Ukraine, he added.
Árpád János Potápi also held talks with the leaders of the Democratic Community of Hungarians in Croatia (HMDK). During the course of the talks with President Sándor Jakab and Executive Chair Róbert Jankovics, the parties reviewed topical issues concerning the Hungarian community in Croatia, with special regard to the situation of native language educational institutions which struggle with grave problems due to the low number of children. As part of the consultation concerning the latest national policy programmes, they discussed the details of the Croatian plans related to the Year of Vocational Training Programme and the Petőfi Sándor Programme launched on 15 March 2015 with a view to helping scattered Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin.
The parties also covered topics related to the next meeting of the Hungarian-Croatian Minority Mixed Committee. The state secretary confirmed that, under the auspices of the partnership formed with HMDK, the Government continues to rely on the organisation’s assistance in the expedited naturalisation proceedings. The leaders of HMDK expressed their solidarity with fellow-countrymen in Transcarpathia who find themselves in a difficult situation at present, and said that, in cooperation with the Community of Hungarian Youths in Croatia, they started a collection of donations for Hungarian families in Transcarpathia.
via kormany.hu and MTI photo: public domain