Hungarian government to provide aid to Praid and every Hungarian living there

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the Hungarian government will provide exhaustive aid “not only to Praid [Parajd in Transylvania] but to all the Hungarians living there”.

“Praid is a part of Hungarians’ national identity,” PM Orbán said in an interview with public radio on Friday in connection with the recent natural disaster that hit Praid’s salt mines. “They love the place as their own; it almost belongs to us… What happens there feels as if it happened to us. It’s painful,” he said, adding that many people stood ready to help in the aftermath of the disaster. “But for now, the situation is very difficult, almost hopeless,” he said.

In addition to the disaster in Praid, floods in the Haromszek region had created a serious situation and “Hungarians there will also need help”, he said.

Meanwhile, PM Orbán said Romania’s ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party was “a well-organised, strong party which promotes Hungarian interests, not only politically but economically, too.” He said he was in contact with RMDSZ leader Hunor Kelemen and had promised all the aid necessary.