The Romanian foreign ministry has summoned Hungary’s ambassador to voice its disapproval after a Hungarian politician said that Romania would restrict the use of the Szekler flag.
„The Szekler flag will fly on the facade of Hungarian public institutions until the Romanian state allows its free use throughout the territory of Romania! Come on, Szeklers! Let’s go to Transylvania!” – wrote Zsolt Nemeth, chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee in the Hungarian Parliament on Facebook.
Romania’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Romanian law allows people belonging to the 20 minorities that are nationally recognized to use their national symbols in private and at certain cultural and religious manifestations.
Regarding the Szekler flag, the ministry said that Romania has no administrative-territorial unit with this name, and no specific official insignia.
There are 1.2 million Hungarians living in Romania, most of them in Transylvania which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918.
The self-governing Székely seats had their own administrative system and existed as legal entities from medieval times until 1876 when their seats were replaced with counties.
