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GOVT OFFICIALS MEET SCOTLAND HUNGARIANS

 

Katalin Szili, the prime minister’s chief advisor, and Árpád János Potápi, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad, met members of the local Hungarian communities in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Lochgelly, in Scotland on Sunday. Scotland’s Hungarian community of around 15,000 is a fast-changing one both in terms of its size and composition, Potápi told MTI by phone. Many come here to study or work, before moving on within a few months or years to England or elsewhere in western Europe, or returning home to Hungary, he said. This is one of the reasons why many of them are young couples with small children, the state secretary added.
Potápi said that a consulate general has been operating in Edinburgh for several years, helping with maintaining contact with the local Hungarian community and supporting them in preserving their identity. He expressed hope that an association of Hungarians in Scotland would be established soon, which could then apply for support from the state secretariat, contributing to, among other things, the opening of a Hungarian weekend school.
Szili highlighted the ongoing progress in the organisation of Scotland’s Hungarian communities. She said it had been important to the Hungarians in Aberdeen to celebrate the upcoming Day of National Cohesion together.