Today, on the 10th of March, 2013, we, the Szeklers gathered on the Postarét (Post Meadow) of Marosvásárhely/Targu-Mures in continuation of the traditions of the Szekler National Assemblies, and the representatives of the sympathizing Hungarian communities of Transylvania, declare: we demand territorial autonomy for Szeklerland!

Szeklerland's territorial autonomy denotes the right and the ability of the szekler-hungarian community, to have elected bodies - administratively placed between central government and the local community - enjoying competences of self-governance and public authority for the solution of public problems in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.

When joining the Council of Europe, Romania has made a commitment to uphold the dispositions of Recommendation 1201/1993 of the Council of Europe, which in its 11th article states the following:

In the regions where they are in a majority the persons belonging to a national minority shall have the right to have at their disposal appropriate local or autonomous authorities or to have a special status, matching the specific historical and territorial situation and in accordance with the domestic legislation of the state.

The government of Romania has promised to execute the planned regional reform only after consulting the affected population, as recommended by the European Union, and stated by the Romanian legislation currently in force. Despite this, now they are planning to violate Romania's obligations stated in the Framework Convention on Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, by assimilating Szeklerland into an administrative region with a Romanian majority, eliminating what's left of the institutional framework of the szeklers' existence. We call upon the competent authorities, and the international public, that a regional reform executed against the will of Szeklerland's population, would bear an unforeseeable impact on Romanian democracy, and would make it impossible to normalize the relationship, between the majority population, and the ethnic minority that represents the majority of Szeklerland's population! At the same time we would like to draw the attention of the Romanian government, that the violation of international commitments would have a negative impact on Romania's external relations.

What we want is dialog and cooperation, hoping that the Romanian government will eventually accept that an administrative reform must be based on the free will of the local communities, constructive cooperation and solidarity between the citizens.

We emphasize that Szeklerland's territorial autonomy does not violate the territorial integrity nor the sovereignty of the Romanian state, nor the interest Romanian citizen’s living in Szeklerland, nor the constitution of Romania. The advantages granted by Szeklerland's autonomy will equally benefit all local citizen's, in accordance with the fundamental values of democracy.

In spirit of the above mentioned:

We demand that Szeklerland, a region with specific historical, geographical, political, cultural and economic characteristics, should become a separate development region, for the sake of a more efficient use of the EU resources!

We demand that Szeklerland should become a separate administrative region!

We demand the legal entrenchment of Szeklerland's territorial autonomy!

We object to an administrative reform that would violate the interests, and threaten the existence of Szeklerland' s autochthonous population, the Szekler people!

We demand that the Romanian authorities halt the persecution of Szekler symbols, and the harassment and threatening of Hungarian speaking individuals!

We object against the misuse of state institutions for the purpose of oppressing, intimidating and persecuting Hungarians with Romanian citizenship!

We want full and effective equality for all of Szeklerland's inhabitants!

We desire that the Romanian Government should begin negotiations on these issues with the legitimate representatives of the Szekler People, the Szekler National Council and the elected local authorities from Szeklerland!

Autonomy for Szeklerland, freedom for the Szekler people!

Marosvásárhely/Târgu-Mures, March the 10th, 2013