The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice have welcomed that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution in support of the rights of European national minorities.

The resolution and recommendation adopted by PACE on April 8 are based on a report by Hungarian lawmaker Ferenc Kalmár on the situation and rights of traditional national minorities in Europe. The report highlighted the situation of national minorities who had been living on the same territory for centuries and share a common identity, and underlined the importance of protecting their rights.

The statement welcomed as "highly important" from the aspect of Hungarian communities beyond the borders that the PACE supported regional and territorial autonomies, acknowledging that the special status enjoyed by the regions of several countries has brought stability and prosperity to those regions and states. The Assembly also expressed the view that territorial self-government arrangements can also contribute to effectively protecting minority rights with a collective dimension and avoiding assimilation, the ministries said.

The resolution adopted called on member states to sign and ratify, if they have not yet done so, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages as soon as possible. It also urged member states to promote the official use of languages spoken by traditional national minorities in the territories in question.

The Hungarian ministries said that the documents adopted in Strasbourg on Tuesday put principles in the focus of European rights protection that the Hungarian government has consistently espoused.  Hungary strongly supports the assembly's position that the protection of national minority rights helps maintain stability as well as building a sustainable future in Europe.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)