JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN SLOVAK AND ETHNIC HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

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JOINT STATEMENT BETWEEN SLOVAK AND ETHNIC HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

Publisher: PER

On September 6-8, 1996, PER conducted a third Slovakia roundtable, in LeMont Pelerin, Switzerland. At that meeting, ten members of the Slovak parliament,representing the ruling coalition and the opposition parties (including the three ethnic Hungarian parties), signed a joint declaration affirming their loyalty to Slovakia, as individuals and as representatives of their respective political parties; recommending that the government and parliament of Slovakia begin without delay to draft a bill on the use of minority languages for official business; recommending that a dialogue be continued concerning the protection of rights of members of ethnic minorities in the Slovak Republic; supporting Slovakia's efforts to join international organizations; agreeing to continue, in good faith, the endeavor to establish amicable relations among the people of Slovakia; calling on all political entities in the National Council of the Slovak Republic to support these recommendations.

 

The undersigned representatives of the parliamentary parties from Slovakia,meeting in Le Mont Pelerin on September 6-8, 1996, conducted on an open andconstructive debate concerning interethnic relations with a specialreference to Slovak- Hungarian relations in the Slovak Republic and issued a joint statement.

JOINT STATEMENT

The undersigned participants from the Slovak Republic

  • affirm their loyalty as citizens and representatives of their respective political parties to the Slovak Republic, loyalty being understood as one based on their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the Slovak Republic;
  • recommend that the government and parliament of Slovokia begin without delay to draft a bill on the use of minority languages for official business;
  • support Slovakia's efforts to join international organizations and institutions;
  • agree to continue, in good faith and seeking to promote mutual understanding, the endeavor to establish amicable relations between the people of the Slovak Republic;
  • call on all political entities represented in the National Council of the Slovak Republic to join in support of these recommendations;
  • gratefully acknowledge the efforts of PER, USA, and in particular of Dr. Allen Kassof, Mrs. Livia Plaks as well as the Pew Charitable Trusts represented by Mr. Stephen del Russo in arranging for the meeting and note with gratutude the encouragement offered at the meeting by Mr. Herbert Bosch, co-chairman of the Joint Slovak-EU Parliamentary Committee, and Ambassador Urs Ziswiler of the Swiss Federal Office for Foreign Affairs.

Laszlo A. Nagy,  President, Hungarian Civic Party

Bela Bugar,  Chairman, Hungarian Christian Democratic Party

Miklos Duray,  Chairman, Coexistence

Eva Garajova,  Member, Finance, Budget, and Currency Committee, SlovakParliament

Anton Hrnko,  Member, Democratic Union of Slovakia

Milan Knazko,  Vice-Chairman, Democratic Union of Slovakia

Frantisek Miklosko,  Vice-Chairman, Christian Democratic Movement

Jozef Prokes,  Deputy Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, SlovakParliament

Dusan Slobodnik,  Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Slovak Parliament

Eva Zelenayova,  Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Slovak Parliament

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