Acasă Actualitate VIDEO | Romania’s leaders go to Saxon village with European message...

VIDEO | Romania’s leaders go to Saxon village with European message in answer to Orban’s ‘mixed race’ remarks

Romania’s president and prime minister on Sunday visisted a small Saxon village in Transylvania, a week after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban caused international outrage with his remarks about ‘mixed race’ a few miles away.

Pro-Western stance

President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu’s presence in Crit, an village of 600, was designed to send a strong signal about the government’s pro-Western stance and show that a ethnic minority could play a constructive role in the country.

Mr Iohannis used the Haferland Festival, an annual event that celebrates Saxon traditions and has become a place for politicians and foreign diplomats to rendez-vous for his message.

”Romania will continue to defend the rights and interests of its minorities and will endeavour to build a more inclusive and tolerant society,” the Romanian leader said without mentioning Mr. Orban by name.

Harmonious relations

“The European belief, ‘unity in diversity’ is strengthened by events like the one taking part today. It can never replace, or worse still harm, the harmonious relations between Romanians and those that shared the vicissitudes of history with whom we are now building a European destiny.”

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca was more direct, speaking to an audience that included foreign ambassadors.

„Romania is a democratic state and has made huge efforts to become a reliable partner for developed, Western societies. We Romanians chose this path when we moved away from communism and we won’t abandon this path.”

„We …. are fighting against any form of authoritarianism, radicalization and nationalist-populist or racist excesses,” he added, in apparent reference to Mr. Orban who is facing backlash after a speech arguing that Europeans should not „become peoples of mixed race.”

European Union

In the same speech, Mr Orban also appeared to joke about Nazi gas chambers, saying in the context of a European Union proposal to ration natural gas: “the past shows us German know-how on that.”

His comments were made during an annual address to members of the Hungarian minority in Romania on July 23, not far from Crit.

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Transylvania is home to a sizeable community of ethnic Hungarians, and a small Saxon or German minority. Most Saxons emigrated during the communist regime– sold by Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu for hard currency, and immediately after his downfall.

Transylvania

Transylvania was governed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I.

Mr Iohannis is a member of the ethnic German minority.

The event ended with the Israeli ambassador, David Saranga, launching his bilingual book ‘Returning to Romania.’

Romanian president slams Orban’s race remarks, demands statement from ethnic Hungarians in gov’t

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