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Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto asked during a meeting on Tuesday with his Romanian counterpart Teodor Melescanu that certain court rulings be disregarded and that the Romanian state should intervene in the judicial process, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.
"The meeting of Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto took place at the express request of the Romanian side, given that the Hungarian side maintains a non-constructive attitude and in order to dissuade the constant provocations by the Hungarian side. During the meeting, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto asked that certain court rulings be disregarded and that the Romanian state should interfere with the judiciary," the Foreign Ministry said in a release on Wednesday.
According to the cited source, Teodor Melescanu reminded his Hungarian counterpart that "in a democratic state with a functioning rule of law and that respects the European values and, implicitly, the principle of the state powers' separation, a government intervention in the judiciary is not acceptable." The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister also urged Hungarian officials to refrain from any future provocation to Romania.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed on Tuesday that the two officials met on the sidelines of the informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Affairs Ministers that took place in Strbske Pleso, Slovakia.
''On the occasion of the meeting, Minister Teodor Melescanu called on his Hungarian counterpart for moderation and restraint in the public statements of Budapest officials, showing that lately these statements have artificially inflamed the Romanian-Hungarian dialogue,'' a release stated.
Minister Teodor Melescanu pointed out that "only open and pragmatic bilateral communication, in accordance with the European and Euro-Atlantic values and with the Romania - Hungary Strategic Partnership can lead to the settlement of any situation through dialogue."
According to Hungarian news agency MTI, Peter Szijjarto and Teodor Melescanu discussed Romania's recently adopted Administrative Code and the situation of the Valea Uzului cemetery.
In connection with the Administrative Code, Szijjarto asked Melescanu to take action so as to ensure that a provision on minority rights is introduced into the law, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said in a release, as cited by MTI. The provision should guarantee minorities the use of their mother tongue even if their community represents less than 20 percent of the region's population, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said.
Szijjarto also asked Melescanu to help facilitate consultations between experts from the two countries on the Valea Uzului cemetery and to support a joint visit on site as soon as possible.
According to MTI, in the discussion with Meleskanu, Peter Szijjartolined emphasized the Hungarian Government's intention to relaunch and develop bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect, in a positive dynamics.
