During a celebration of Hungarian culture in the Serbian town of Zenta, Parliamentary Minister of State at the Ministry of Human Capacities Bence Rétvári said that in this modern age of migration the Paris attacks and the events in Cologne on New Year’s Eve challenge European values and the European way of life.
He said that we must be proud of Europe’s cultural heritage, which needs to be both defended and spread. “We do not wish to change our way of life: those coming here legally have to adapt to our way of life”, Mr. Rétvári said. He said that leaders proclaiming that “we must change and relegate to the background our way of life to accommodate those coming here – often illegally,” underestimate the human achievement which has made Europe what it is today and which has built Europe’s cultural heritage.
He said that culture defines identity, and identity creates communities, adding that culture is the best investment any government can make, referring to the Hungarian institutions and events in Serbia supported by the Hungarian government.
In a letter addressed to the celebration event, Minister of Human Capacities Zoltán Balog said that “Hungary has a government which is aware of the importance of cohesion and which is doing everything in its power to strengthen the constituent communities of the nation within and beyond Schengen, and also overseas. This is why we simplified the application procedure for dual citizenship and have in place a scholarship programme for the Carpathian basin.”
Writer Károly Dudás, President of the Hungarian Cultural Association of Vojvodina, said that the Hungarian community there has been celebrating the Day of Hungarian Culture for more than two decades. Hungarian culture is celebrated every year on 22 January, the day when poet Ferenc Kölcsey finalised the words of the Hungarian National Anthem.
During the celebration the Hungarian Cultural Association of Vojvodina presented lifetime achievement awards to various artists and performers.