By the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, Hungarians had become a global nation, with 15 million Hungarians scattered around the world, in the motherland, the Carpathian Basin and many other regions, Péter Szilágyi, Deputy State Secretary for National Policy at the Prime Minister’s Office, said in London on Saturday. He stressed that the aim is “to keep Hungarians as Hungarians.”
Péter Szilágyi, who was speaking at a national meeting of Hungarian community leaders in the UK, highlighted that since 2010, national policy had come to the forefront to such an extent that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade had seen a significant shift in this area.
He stressed that
before 2010, there were no institutional contacts with the Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin or in the diaspora, which have been built up by now.
Szilágyi said that Covid had also caused many difficulties in this policy area, and serious tasks had to be carried out in order to keep these contacts and related programs operational.
The Deputy State Secretary drew attention to the fact that applications for the new phase of the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor program will start on October 1, 2023. He said that those interested can apply on the websites www.kulhonimagyarok.hu and www.korosiprogram.hu, and the organizations hosting the scholarship holders must also indicate their willingness to host them on these sites.
The Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Program, launched by the State Secretariat for National Policy in 2013, is the first truly ambitious initiative specifically aimed at supporting Hungarians living in the diaspora. Under the program, the State Secretariat for National Policy sends scholarship holders to every major Hungarian community in the world, from Canada to New Zealand. The fellows’ task is to help Hungarians living far from the motherland – often second or third generation – to preserve the Hungarian language, culture and identity, and to nurture their Hungarian roots through their community-organizing work.
Among the new features, Szilágyi pointed out that instead of the previous minimum age of 20, applications can now be submitted from the age of 18. Those who have not yet reached the age of 18, but will have reached that age by the time they leave, can also apply, he added.
He emphasized that
applications are invited in four areas: scouting, tradition-keeping, education and training, community, sports, media, and cultural activities.
Szilágyi noted that he was pleased to see the presence of scouting in Britain. The Hungarian Scout Association Abroad and the State Secretariat for National Policy have developed an excellent relationship in recent years, and the State Secretariat supports both the Association and the scout troops operating as separate legal entities, he stressed.
The Deputy State Secretary said that a Welcome Office (Hazaváró Iroda) will be set up to support Hungarians wishing to move home from the diaspora, with the aim of reaching out not to the Carpathian Basin Hungarians but to the Hungarians living in different parts of the world, as well as to jointly overcome administrative obstacles and provide information necessary for settling in Hungary.
We are not in a good position in terms of population, and the great task of the future is to keep Hungarians as Hungarians,”
concluded the Deputy State Secretary for National Policy of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Source : Hungary Today