Undersecretary in charge of international relations at the Ministry of Education and Culture Katalin Bogyay will ceremonially open the branch, to be called Cultural Coordination Centre.
?From the Hungarian side, this is actually not an opening ceremony because it has already happened. What is to take place on Wednesday is the ceremonial launch of the centre?s programmes,? the centre?s director Miklós Hadnagy said. The agreement to set up the centre required only the approval of the ministry in charge in Hungary; however, in Romania, the decision had to be approved by the country?s parliament, which took place only in May of this year, he explained.
The Cultural Coordination Centre is the brainchild of former Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy, and it was realised with the assistance of chairman of the Covasna County Council János Demeter.
The institute in Sfântu Gheorghe is officially a branch of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, but its activities are aimed mainly at ethnic Hungarians, who account for the majority of residents in the city, rather than Romanians. For this reason, it will enjoy a degree of independence from the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Bucharest.
Hadnagy said the centre plans to organise regional days when the culture, and everyday life, as well as social and economic conditions of a certain region are presented. Additionally, it plans to present a series of lectures, entitled ?Stories About Hungary,? with the involvement of historians and economists. ?Foremost Hungarians? will be the title of another series which will present personalities who have made outstanding contributions to their professions. The institute will also promote the ethnic Hungarian culture of Transylvania abroad.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
