— Whereas the Szekler people are a historical, geographic and cultural community that is part of the Hungarian nation and a community with a strong regional sense and particular traditions which has kept its national identity and majority even when the people became a minority in their homeland of Szeklerland,

— Whereas in the past thousand years, since the formation of the Hungarian Kingdom, the Szekler people have brought immense sacrifices in order to protect and maintain the Hungarian homeland and the Hungarian nation, they can rightfully expect in their torn-away state of which they are not the causers, but sufferers, the support of independent and free Hungary in their striving for subsistence and freedom through autonomy,

— Whereas under the Treaty between the Republic of Hungary and Romania on Understanding, Cooperation and Good Neighbourhood, the protection of the Hungarian minority in Romania, including the Szekler people is the subject of an interstate treaty,

— Whereas in the above-referenced treaty the high contracting parties undertook to apply Recommendation 1201/1993 of the Council of Europe, article 11 of which provides that 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,

— Whereas, as the representative of the communities of Szekler villages, towns and Sedes, using the tools of democracy and law the Szekler National Council wishes to achieve a territorial autonomy for Szeklerland which exists in several countries of the European Union, and the related draft bill which has been submitted to the Parliament of Romania complies with Szekler tradition and the present rules of international law,

— Whereas Felix Ermacora issued a recommendation suggesting the term caring state as opposed to protective power with regard to the possible role that the parent state can fulfil to protect “classic minorities” who have a parent state,

— Whereas Romania is party to several international agreements in which the contracting parties agreed to refrain from all measures that would change the proportion of nationalities in areas inhabited by minorities,

— Considering the resolutions of the Szekler National Council passed earlier, the Szekler National Council deems it important that
a. Hungary should fulfil the role of the caring state in respect of Szeklerland and the Szekler people and that Szeklerland should enjoy an accentuated position in Hungary’s policies toward Hungarians living outside the borders of Hungary, therefore the appropriate policies should be formulated,

b. a permanent institutional framework is created for the relationship between Szeklerland and the Hungarian State, in accordance with European practices,

c. The parent state take an active role in the maintenance and strengthening of Szekler community awareness, and therefore
hereby resolves

― requests that the Government of the Republic of Hungary and the institutions of the Hungarian State support by all possible means the autonomy initiatives of Szeklerland at international forums and in the interstate relations between Hungary and Romania, and pay special attention to the relationship with Szeklerland, including seeking the possibility of institutionalising such relationship,

― requests the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary and Romania to take steps to include in the Treaty between the Republic of Hungary and Romania on Understanding, Cooperation and Good Neighbourhood the provisions on autonomy and regionalisation of the Recommendations of the Council of Europe which were created after the Treaty was signed and to emphasise the autonomy of Szeklerland as the institutional guarantee of the rights of the Szekler people within the framework of international law,

― requests the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary to support the appearance of Szeklerland and the Szekler autonomy initiative through the foreign representations of the Hungarian State,

― requests that the Government of the Republic of Hungary invite the Szekler National Council to the Hungarian Permanent Conference.

Szekler National Council

Budapest, 19 November 2010