Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom, touring in Szekler Land — a region inhabited by many ethnic Hungarians in central Romania — rejected allegations making the rounds in Bucharest that his visit served political goals.
Giving a press conference at Targu Secuiesc, Solyom noted that he had met senior representatives of the community — including Hungarian Democratic Union leader Bela Marko, Hungarian National Council of Transylvania leader Laszlo Tokes and senior officials of the Szekler National Council (SZNT) — to hear their views about Romania’s political situation and their plans for the parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 30.
He said that as Hungary’s president he must be wary of interfering in election issues.
Meeting SZNT leaders on Saturday, Solyom confirmed his support for autonomy. Referring to what he said after meeting Romanian President Traian Basescu in February 2007, Solyom reiterated, “minorities in Europe have an obvious right to autonomy, which may exist in a variety of forms (personal, cultural, territorial). It depends on the given minority what kind of autonomy it demands for and what autonomy it can achieve.”
