Romania summons Hungarian Ambassador over Szekler flag dispute

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that it "firmly disapproves" the comments posted on Facebook by Zsolt Nemeth, the president of the Commission for Foreign Policy in the Hungarian Parliament, who claims that Romania would restrict the right to fly 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 (Fidesz) on Facebook, according to G4media.ro.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) points out that the Romanian legislation enshrines the right of people belonging to all 20 national minorities to use their specific symbols in private, as well as in public, within specific cultural and religious manifestations.

Regarding the Szekler flag, the MAE shows that in Romania, there is no administrative-territorial unit with this name and, as a result, no specific official insignia. The self-governing Székely seats had their own administrative system and existed as legal entities from medieval times until the 1870s. The privileges of the Székely and Saxon seats were abolished, and seats were replaced with counties in 1876.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)