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OFFICIAL: USE OF MOTHER TONGUE MUST BE PROTECTED

 

The use of the mother tongue in all areas of life, including the public and private fields, must be viewed as a fundamental value that must be protected under all circumstances, the state secretary for Hungarian communities abroad said on Thursday. Árpád János Potápi told a congress of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) in Pécs, southern Hungary, that people living in minority must be protected.
“Because if their rights are not guaranteed, and their language use, their culture and traditions are restricted or prevented, or they are prohibited or persecuted, then the community may lose their most talented leaders”, he added. When the government raises its voice concerning the protection of national minorities, it is protecting the values that preserve the wisdom of elders, he said.