President Milanović Meets with Croats in Hungary and Invites them to Continue Nurturing Good Relations between the Two States

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović, who is on a two-day Official visit to Hungary, met today with representatives of the Croatian community in Hungary in the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Budapest. He invited them to do everything in their power to continue nurturing good and friendly relations between Croatia and Hungary.

“We are good neighbours, but we are different. We know where the border is, we know that we are together in Europe, they have their problems, we have ours, but when the situation was complex in the early 1990s, their attitude towards us was friendly. One should continue building on that”, President Milanović told representatives of the Croatian community in Hungary.

Attending the meeting with President Milanović were the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Pécs Drago Horvat, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Croatia in Nagykanizsa Atila Kos, the president of the Croatian state self-government in Hungary Ivan Gugan and his deputy Angela Šokac, the spokesperson of the Croatian minority in the Hungarian parliament Jozo Solga, Major General Denis Tretinjak and the Commander of the Multinational Division Centre in Székesfehérvár.

Also present at the meeting were the presidents of a number of Croatian self-governments in Budapest, heads of Croatian villages and communities in the Western Hungarian Borderland Örvidék and the Municipality of Bácska, the director of the Croatian Theatre in Pécs Slaven Vidaković, the principals of Croatian schools in Hungary as well as representatives of the Croatian media.

According to the 2011 population census in Hungary, 26,774 persons declared themselves as Croats, however according to the date of the Croatian self-government in Hungary that number is significantly higher, 50 thousand. The Alliance of Croats in Hungary is an umbrella cultural organization with a network of regional societies. These are two umbrella organizations that assemble Croats in Hungary. Since 2014, all minority communities in Hungary have the right to their Member of Parliament, but as a spokesperson without voting rights. At the parliamentary elections in 2022 Jozo Solga was elected MP of the Croatian community community without voting rights.

Alongside President Milanović were the Head of the Cabinet of the President Bartol Šimunić, the Adviser to the President for Foreign and European Policy Neven Pelicarić and the Special Adviser to the President for Culture Zdravko Zima.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić