RSS
MAE: Hungarian Minister Szijjarto's reaction regarding new crossing point between Romania, Hungary unjustified
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) on Friday informed that it "took note with great surprise of the completely unjustified, disproportionate and out of context" reaction of the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Szijjarto, posted on his Facebook page, regarding a constitutionality challenge filed by the President of Romania with the Romanian Constitutional Court in respect to the Law on the opening by the Romanian Government of diplomatic negotiations for concluding an agreement with Hungary on the opening of the international border crossing point Beba Veche (Romania)-Kubekhaza (Hungary).
The MAE labelled as "unacceptable and disrespectful the language that the Hungarian dignitary used in reference to the Romanian head of state".
"The decision of the President of Romania to file a constitutionality challenge with the Constitutional Court in relation to the Law on the opening by the Romanian Government of diplomatic negotiations for concluding an agreement with Hungary on the opening of the international border crossing Beba Veche (Romania)-Kubekhaza (Hungary) has nothing to do with the actual opening of the border crossing point and is in no way directed against Hungary or the Hungarian minority in Romania," the Ministry said.
At the same time, the MAE emphasizes that this decision is, in fact, "based on the need to comply with the constitutional provisions regarding the separation of powers in the state, because, according to the Romanian law, the initiative to start negotiations for an international agreement belongs exclusively to the Executive and it cannot be decided through any law."
"More than once, the Romanian side reiterated its sincere interested in building a genuine relationship of good neighbourliness and cooperation for the mutual benefit of our citizens, regardless of ethnicity. In fact, the Romanian Government's standpoint of May 2020 regarding this legislative proposal explicitly mentions the intention at the Executive level to take the usual steps, according to the applicable norms and current practice, in order to consult the competent authorities on the initiative to conclude an agreement with the Hungarian side in order to open the Beba Veche (Romania)-Kubekhaza (Hungary) border crossing point," says MAE.
"The removal from the context of the real intentions of the Romanian side also indicates the manifest lack of adequate information and documentation of the Hungarian side regarding the motivation of the notification of unconstitutionality, which is otherwise publicly available," said the same source.
"The President of Romania intentionally harms the cooperation between Hungarians and Romanians when he hinders the establishment of a new border crossing point, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade wrote on his Facebook page on Friday," reported the MTI news agency, quoted by hirado.hu.
Peter Szijjarto's reaction came after Klaus Iohannis filed a constitutionality challenge with the Constitutional Court against the law on the establishment of a new border crossing point between Kubekhaza and Beba Veche, a law that has already been passed.
"Unfortunately, the President of Romania is an extremist anti-Hungarian politician," Peter Szijjarto wrote on his Facebook page.
Klaus Iohannis "constantly involves Hungary and the Hungarian government in the Romanian election campaign," added the head of Hungarian diplomacy, who added that by his decision, the Romanian head of state "intentionally harms the cooperation between Hungarians and Romanians," hampering a cause important for both the Hungarian and the Romanian people.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed that the border crossing points between the two states are important not only symbolically, but also in practice, bringing communities on both sides of the border closer and making the daily lives of those living in the border area easier. "To veto the establishment of a new border crossing means nothing more and nothing less than deliberately impeding the rapprochement between the two nations," said Peter Szijjarto.
He stressed that the Hungarian government still wants to develop bilateral relations, as this is also in the interest of Hungarians living in Transylvania and the Szeklerland.
***
President Klaus Iohannis has sent to the Constitutional Court, on Friday, a constitutionality challenge regarding a law by which the Government would start diplomatic negotiations for the conclusion of an agreement with Hungary regarding the opening of the international border crossing point Beba Veche (western Timis County, Romania) - Kubekhaza (Hungary), the head of state deeming that "the initiative of starting negotiations in view of concluding an international treaty in the name of Romania belongs exclusively to the executive power" and, thus, cannot be regulated through law.
"By the law criticized, the Parliament is limiting the power of the Government in manifesting its will regarding a certain matter of foreign policy Thus, the Government is obligated to exercise a certain attribution in the conditions set by Parliament, in the sense of starting or initiating a legal action in the form of official discussions, meaning negotiations, with the purpose of concluding in the future a separate agreement with Hungary that would regard the opening of a crossing point of the state border," according to the notice sent by the Presidential Administration.
It's mentioned that according to art. 3, paragraph (4), letter a) of the Convention of April 27, 2004 between Romania and Hungary regarding the control of road and rail border traffic, the governments of the contracting states regulate by separate agreement the establishment or disestablishment of the state border crossing points, the functioning program, the nature of traffic and its modifications.
Furthermore, art. 9, paragraph (1) of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 105/2001 is invoked, according to which the opening of new border crossing points or the temporary or definitive closing of the existing ones is done by decision of the Government. Also, according to art. 102, paragraph (1) of the Constitution, the Government, according to its government program accepted by Parliament, ensures the conduct of internal and external policy of the country and exercises the general leadership of the public administration.
The Presidential Administration added that, in what regards the role of the Government in foreign policy, the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court has shown for the sense of "in foreign policy it's rather a technical one, it having to follow and fulfill the obligations that Romania has undertaken" at the level of the state.
The Chamber of Deputies adopted, on May 27, the draft law that provides for the start of diplomatic negotiations by the Government for the conclusion of an agreement with Hungary regarding the opening of the international border crossing point Beba Veche (Romania) - Kubekhaza (Hungary). The draft, initiated by MPs from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and minorities, was adopted with 306 votes "for", one "against" and 2 abstentions.
(Source photo: archive MAE)