Despite the economic difficulties, the government will continue the work started 12 years ago with ethnic municipalities and organizations, Miklós Soltész, the State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for church and ethnic relations, announced on Friday at the Pro Cultura Minoritatum Hungariae Awards in Budapest.

Thirteen outstanding personalities and organizations belonging to nationalities recognized in Hungary and whose work contributes to the coexistence of the peoples of the Carpathian Basin received the recognition.

At the ceremony held in the Bulgarian Cultural Center, Miklós Soltész emphasized in his welcome speech: the investments that have begun will continue, almost a hundred institutions have received help, approximately 300 applicants will be supported with the tender for energy and institution maintenance purposes.

The government also supports the community-building work, cultural activities, and camping in the motherland of civil organizations

he added.

Miklós Soltész emphasized that it is very important to support young people and young communities, because they will be the ones who will lead the minority communities of the future.

Nikola Kusev, representative of the Bulgarian National Self-Government, Csávolyi Bunyevác Croatian Cultural Circle, Patrícia Pászt, founder and director of the Hungarian Center in Krakow, musician István Czehmann, founder of the Stefans Kapelle formation, Bálint Kovács, Armenology Department of Péter Péter Catholic University, who received the award this year its founder and leader, György Petrusán, was the former head of the Romanian Language and Literature Department of the Gyula Juhász Teacher Training College of the University of Szeged.

A pair of siblings, Mária Bán and Anna Bán, were also recognized for their work as speakers presenting Ruthenian ethnic traditions, Péter Osztoics for his work in the interests of Serbian Orthodox architecture and culture, Katalin Zsuzsánna Szabóné Tóth for her role in teaching the Slovak language and folk dance and in theater organization, the Slovenes of Hungary Her association is the Chamber Choir of Szentgotthárd, Ukrainian language teacher and textbook author Judit Sofilkanics, and Márta Soósné Bada for her success with her images of the Roma nationality.

László Grófo-Kozák, who started singing with his father in 2006, also received an award for popularizing Roma traditions and folk music; shows its success that the Nézését mem a jórását became a double platinum record in 11 languages, they wrote in the tribute.

MTI

Featured image: Ruthenian folk singers Mária Bán and Anna Bán receive the Pro Cultura Minoritatum Hungariae Award from Miklós Soltész, the Prime Minister's State Secretary for Church and Ethnic Relations on May 19, 2023. MTI/Tamás Kovács