Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received the President of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians István Pásztor today. The meeting may be regarded as a new step in regular relations, cooperation and mutual information, but was also made actual by the two-day official visit to Budapest of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, which begins today.

István Pásztor informed the Prime Minister about the current problems faced by the Hungarian community in Vojvodina, most of which, he stated, are an intrinsic part of the everyday problems facing Serbia. Serbia's ever closer possible accession to the EU was regarded as a key issue at the meeting, and the parties agreed that the chances of resolving the issue of Kosovo were promising. Serbia's EU accession and the commencement of related talks at the earliest opportunity is a key issue for the Hungarian community in Vojvodina, and Hungary continues to provide strong support to Serbia in this issue. István Pásztor informed the Prime Minister of the latest offences against Vojvodina.

The parties agreed that these incidents give cause for concern, because they may strengthen the exclusion of the Vojvodina region. Conformance to the Constitution and the rule of law are unavoidable European values and the violation of these principals is not an internal issue, but one of European values, the parties determined. According to the report provided by Mr. Pásztor, another cause for worry is that the implementation of the Rehabilitation Act, which was adopted a year ago and includes European solutions, is slow and complicated. It is as if there is a confrontation of interests between prosecution and judicial practices, he added.

The commemoration of innocent victims is long overdue, and this prolongs the facing of historical facts, says István Pásztor. The realisation of the act on national councils has been reviewed, with special attention to those verbal attacks, which attempt to make the application of the law impossible. Topics of discussion at the meeting also included opportunities for economic cooperation and rural development.

István Pásztor reported on the fact that the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians has begun work on a plan aimed at creating a Vojvodina community area and boosting economic development, in the interests of linking to the Wekerle Plan.

Bertalan Havasi
Chief Press Officer to the Prime Minister

(Prime Minister’s Office)