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One million overseas ethnic Hungarians have applied for Hungarian citizenship after the Hungarian Parliament passed a law on dual citizenship seven years ago, Hungary's Deputy Prime Minister, Semjen Zsolt, said Wednesday at Baile Tusnad.
In a speech to the opening of the Tusvanyos Summer University at Baile Tusnad, Harghita County, Romania, he said the project for the unification of the Magyar nation that started in 2010 has reached a turning point with the recent filing of the 1,000,000th application for Hungarian citizenship.
"We have received application number 1,000,000 and by November we will have the citizen number one million to take a citizenship oath, " Semjen said in Hungarian according to the official translation released by organisers.
Also addressing the opening session was Chairman of the Hungarian Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Nemeth Zsolt, who said that he is hoping the Tusvanyos will turn back into a platform for dialogue between Hungary and Romania, as it used to be before 2012.
"We hope to be able to resume that Romanian-Magyar dialogue that has been in a state of cataplexy ever since the Romanian Cabinet Ungureanu was ousted in 2012 (...) There has been no such dialogue at a high level between the two countries over the past five years, but there are good signs now (...) We are hoping that this dialogue will resume in the interest of the two countries, in the interest of the minorities in the two countries and the renewal of Europe," said Nemeth, according to translation.
He commended Romania's President Klaus Iohannis for visiting on Tuesday the counties of Covasna and Harghita, voicing hope that Iohannis will be in attendance at the next editions of the Tusvanyos Summer University.
The Tusvanyos summer school and camp at Baile Tusand, in its 28th edition this year, is organised by the Magyar Youth Council (MIT) and the Pro Minoritate Foundation.
Included in the schedule of the event, to end on July 23, are debates and symposia covering economic, interethnic and scientific topics, as well as cultural, athletic, recreational and entertainment events.
Included among the invitees are Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban - expected at Baile Tusnad on the last day of the event, as well as state officials from Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
Organisers say more than 60,000 attendees are expected for the entire duration of the Tusvanyos Summer University.
