After the inauguration of the second motorway border-crossing between Romania and Hungary on Friday, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó met with the representatives of the Democratic Alliance for Hungarians in Romania (known by its Hungarian acronym of RMDSZ) in Nagyvárad (Oradea in Romanian) and Bihar (Bihor) County. At the meeting, Szijjártó stressed the importance of the cooperation between Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary and Bihar County in Romania, as well as the participation of Hungarians in the Romanian municipal elections. The Hungarian Foreign Minister also announced that the Hungarian Government will support school investments in Nagyvárad.
We had a meaningful discussion, Senator Attila Cseke, president of Bihar County RMDSZ and the RMDSZ mayoral candidate for Nagyvárad, said after the meeting. He also thanked the Hungarian government for making the new border-crossing a priority and both the Hungarian government and Péter Szijjártó for their help during the pandemic crisis, including helping commuters cross the border, maszol.ro reports.
Cseke said that during the meeting on Friday, they discussed Hungarian issues in Bihar County and Nagyvárad, and they briefed the minister on upcoming challenges, the local government and parliamentary elections. The Senator added: They primarily asked for the support of Hungary to resolve issues affecting the education system, issues common to the Reformed and Roman Catholic churches.
Regarding the agreement concluded with the RMDSZ of Nagyvárad, Szijjártó announced that the next round of the Transylvanian Economic Development Programme will focus on the Partium region. The Foreign Minister noted that under this program, the Hungarian Government has supported 6,000 tenders with HUF 70 billion (almost EUR 200 million), creating investments worth HUF 130 billion (EUR 360 million). Szijjártó added that they are now awaiting the application of small and medium-sized enterprises from the Partium region that are working in agriculture, tourism, and industry, including the processing industry.
The foreign minister said that they had agreed with Senator Attila Cseke that in order for Hungarian youth to study in Hungarian schools, Hungary will support the school purchase plans of the local Hungarians and the Reformed Church in Nagyvárad and will also help in the building of a dormitory for Hungarian students.
Title image: Attila Cseke (left) and Péter Szijjártó discussed Hungarian issues in Bihar County and Nagyvárad. Photo: MTI/KKM/Borsos Mátyás
