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ForMin Aurescu: Hungary attempting to draw Romania into artificial conflict

Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said that the Hungarian side continues to use an unacceptable language in terms of diplomacy towards Romania and believes that it is an attempt of Hungary to draw the Romanian side into "an artificial conflict.""There is a kind of approach that we find unacceptable in the relations between two EU member states and at the same time two strategic partners, especially since we are two neighbours with common interests in the region and we should act together, particularly in the context of this European crisis concerning migration. The Hungarian side's approach, which initiated this dialogue through this public announcement made yesterday in regards to the intention of building a fence at the Romanian-Hungarian border is a kind of approach that doesn't solve this problem. We reacted immediately yesterday and we showed including at the moment this intention of the Hungarian side was broadcast, we informed the Hungarian side that this approach is an approach that does not correspond to the European spirit and which, for certain, does not correspond to the Strategic Partnership between our countries, either," Aurescu said at the Palace of Parliament.

He explained that the Romanian charge d'affaires in Budapest was not convened at the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, but the initiative belonged to the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry.

"We sent the charge d'affaires with Romania's Embassy in Budapest to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry to reiterate this position of the Romanian side and to demand additional explanations concerning this intention and on that occasion those dissatisfactions were voiced which the Hungarian side has with a statement that the Prime Minister made in Targu Jiu," Aurescu showed.

According to the Minister, "the Hungarian side continues to use this misinformation related to the manner in which a Romanian diplomat is convened."

"We find that this language is kept, which is unacceptable in terms of diplomacy, towards the Romanian side and we find it is about an attempt of the Hungarian side to draw us in an artificial conflict meant to tone down, most likely, the perception that is shaping up increasingly more of self-isolation which Hungary has inside the EU, following the actions it conducts," Aurescu also said.

He mentioned that he informed the European Commission on the Hungarian side's intention of building a fence between Romania and Hungary, an intention which, in his opinion, isn't based on any kind of real grounds.

"From the information we have from the Interior Ministry, there isn't an increase in the person flow at the Serbian-Romanian border. Therefore there is no justification for this kind of approach," Aurescu concluded.

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The Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry explained on Wednesday it could not accept receiving a protest note from Hungarian ambassador in Bucharest Zakonyi Botond, when he was summoned at the ministry headquarters on Romanian Minister Bogdan Aurescu's instruction. 

"Given the purpose for which ambassador Zakonyi Botond was summoned at the foreign ministry's headquarters - i.e. to communicate Romania's position on Hungary's plans to raise a fence on the Romanian border - according to the diplomatic practice, receiving such a note could not be accepted. Actually, the Hungarian side sought to misrepresent the purpose of the ambassador's being summoned by handing in the above-mentioned note, which is unacceptable both in content and form for the Romanian side", the ministry said in a release.

Foreign Affairs Ministry's State Secretary George Ciamba summoned Zakonyi Botond on Wednesday to inform him upon the stance of the Romanian side referring to a series of last days' evolutions. 

The summoning was made on behalf of Minister Bogdan Aurescu, and the aspects communicated concerned "the announcement by the Hungarian side on the project of erecting a fence at its border with Romania; the unacceptable statements by Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister, Peter Szijjarto to Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta; the private visit to Romania of Katalin Szili, commissioner of the Hungarian PM in the state secretariat for the national policy within the Prime Minister's Office (September 8-10, 2015)". 

During the talks, the ministry said, the Romanian side advanced with priority the preoccupation about the obvious trend of the Hungarian side "to lure Romania in an artificial dispute," capable to substitute to the problems the Hungarian officials have to manage in the current European context, marked by the migrants crisis.

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