Csaba Sógor: Autochtonous national minorities can be the engines of regional cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe
It can only benefit a country if it addresses minority issues in a satisfactory manner and guarantees comprehensive minority protection laws – was the conclusion of the panel discussion of MEPs Csaba Sógor and Pál Csáky on the 21st of November at the 2nd Visegrad International Youth Conference in Cluj-Napoca.
The event that took place between 19-22 November had youth and security policies and minority issues on the agenda. During the discussion entitled State and Nation in Central and Eastern Europe: the Minority Issue, Hungarian MEPs Pál Csáky from Slovakia and Csaba Sógor from Romania agreed that it can only benefit a society if the minority communities are satisfied with the safeguards protecting their identity.
“It is crucial that the majority and minority communities respect each other in a society. The benefits of the two living together peacefully,are important not just from a human rights, minority rights and security policy point of view, but also from an economic perspective”- stated Sógor. The RMDSZ MEP also pointed out that the autochthonous national minorities in Europe have been exemplary, law abiding citizens loyal to their countries, and that they can be the engines of regional cooperation and economic growth in Central and Eastern Europe due to their multilingualism.
During the 2nd Visegrad Youth Conference Csaba Sógor has been handed the resolution unanimously adopted by 18 youth organizations. In the decree the young people are calling for cooperation between governmental organisations and minority communities, especially in the field of language education for the youth. The signatories of the document expressed their wish to cooperate on issues affecting the Central European region, and to submit the content of the decree to their country's leaders and to the youth organizations of the European People's Party (YEPP).
