During his political career, Serbian-Hungarian friendship reached an unprecedented historical peak.

As previously reported by civilek.info

Viktor Orbán, among others, remembered the politician in his Facebook post, "he went the way of the warriors. God rest István Pásztor," wrote the Prime Minister.

During his political career, he did a lot to ensure that the Vojvodina Hungarians and Serbs could live side by side in peace. The historic Serbian-Hungarian reconciliation process began ten years ago, when the Serbian Parliament accepted the declaration of the House of Representatives condemning the acts committed against the Hungarian civilian population of Vojvodina in 1944-45. Not long after, the then Serbian and Hungarian heads of state jointly remembered the innocent victims in Csúrog. And the peak of the process was this summer, when the Serbian-Hungarian Strategic Cooperation Council was established in Palic, reports Mandiner .

In the commemorative article of Pannonrtv, he writes,

Thanks to the politicization of István Pásztor, Serbian-Hungarian friendship has reached an unprecedented historical peak.

In addition, the politician did a lot to protect the rights of Vojvodina Hungarians. In the 2016 Vojvodina Autonomous Provincial House of Representatives elections, he was elected for the second time as the Speaker of the Vojvodina AT House of Representatives. As president, he continued his many years of commitment to issues related to the economic development of Vojvodina, through the strengthening of the policy of partnership cooperation across the interregional border.

In addition, he did a lot for the survival of Hungarians in Serbia, so that they could live in the best possible conditions in their homeland.

Thanks to his activities, schools and kindergartens were renewed, and education in Hungarian was restarted in several settlements. Also, he constantly warned about the migration crisis affecting the settlements along the Serbian-Hungarian border.

Zsolt Semjén, Árpád Potápi: The greatest figure of Vojvodina Hungarians has left

In the person of István Pásztor, the greatest figure of Hungarians in Vojvodina has left, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén and János Árpád Potápi, State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office responsible for national policy, wrote in a joint statement on Monday evening.

He served his homeland and community all his life. Throughout his life and political career, István Pásztor worked for the preservation and strengthening of Vojvodina Hungarianness. As a result of his activities as the president of the VMSZ, Vojvodina Hungarians have now become the most organized part of the nation in the Carpathian Basin, they added.

With his steady and persistent work, he has gained immeasurable merits not only in the field of Hungarian affairs, but also in the field of strengthening Serbian-Hungarian relations, forming a bridge between the two governments, the two countries, the two nations, they added.

"The series of steps taken in the path of mutual reconciliation between the Serbs and Hungarians would not have been possible without the personal involvement of István Pásztor and could have risen to an exemplary level in the region," the announcement states.

In person, "one of the most charismatic politicians of the Hungarian nation has left us" . He was a leader known for his political insight, firm stance and outspokenness, who was guided by his belief in a unified Hungarian "in matters of our national prosperity".

About István Pásztor, the President of Serbia: He was a great man, respected politician and friend

Magyar Szó quoted the words of the Serbian head of state .

Aleksandar Vucsics added: with him, they built strong foundations of trust between Serbs and Hungarians, and were happy with every success that brought a better life to the citizens. His role in promoting and strengthening the Hungarian identity in Serbia was huge, the Serbian president noted.

István Pásztor was born on August 20, 1956 in Törökkanizsa. He completed elementary school and high school in Subotica, and obtained his university degree in 1980 at the Faculty of Law of the University of Novi Sad. He has been a member of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association since 1994, and has been its president since 2007. From 1992 to 2000 he was a member of the city council of Szatka, from 1996 to 2004 he was a representative of the province, from 1996 to 2000 he was a member of the federal parliament, from 1999 to 2002 he was a member of the Provisional Hungarian National Council, chairman of the Administrative Committee, from 2000 to 2004 he was the provincial executive. Vice-President of the Council, provincial privatization secretary between 2000-2008, provincial economic secretary between 2008-2012. In the 2012 elections (Szabadka IV constituency), he entered the provincial house of representatives as an individual provincial representative, and was elected its president. In May, he was elected president of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association for the fifth time. The year before last, he was awarded the middle cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit with the star, and a year later, the president of the Republic of Serbia awarded him the first degree of the Candlemas Day Order of Merit.

The family of István Pásztor will provide information on the date of his funeral later.

Source: civilek.info, MTI, Mandiner

Cover image: The recording was taken on October 22, 2022 in Subotica. MTI/Edvárd Molnár