Last Respects Are Paid to Istvan Pasztor in Subotica

At the funeral ceremony Hungary's PM Viktor Orban and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic bid farewell to the VMSZ/SVM president.

Szabadka, 2023. november 4. Pásztor István, a Vajdasági Magyar Szövetség (VMSZ) elnökének fotója a búcsúztatóján a Bajai úti temetõben Szabadkán 2023. november 4-én. MTI/Máthé Zoltán Fotó: Fotó: MTI/Máthé Zoltán

Giant crowds attended the funeral of Istvan Pasztor, president of the Alliance of Hungarians in Vojvodina (VMSZ/SVM), on Saturday.  The ceremony was held at 2pm in the Peits Chapel of the Bajska (Bajai) Road Cemetery in Subotica (Szabadka). Istvan Pasztor passed away on Monday, October 30, at the age of 67.  Pannon RTV reported that the farewell began with a church ceremony and a communal prayer, followed by eulogies by state and public figures in memory of the politician. Before the funeral, the relatives and friends paid their last respects in the Peits chapel.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also gave eulogies, bidding farewell to the Hungarian politician from Vojvodina.

"Like a flock that has lost its shepherd, we stand here with bowed heads and heavy hearts, Serbs and Hungarians, Hungarians in the motherland and abroad in the Carpathian Basin, especially in Vojvodina", Viktor Orban began his farewell address. "Istvan Pasztor lived as a soldier, fought as a soldier and left as a soldier. Now we bid him farewell with the respect due to our brothers-in-arms", the Hungarian PM continued, stressing that Mr Pasztor was the first who not only hoped and believed in reconciliation between nations, but also actively pursued it.

We stand here broken and bewildered with President Vucic, representing the Serbian and Hungarian people, over the coffin of a Hungarian man who forged us together and reconciled our peoples - for which we are forever grateful.

"Istvan Pasztor is a historic figure whose name will be preserved not only in Hungarian, but also in Serbian textbooks, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic stressed, adding

Istvan Pasztor managed to unite the largest Serbian party and the largest Hungarian party in Vojvodina - the Serbian Progressive Party and the Alliance of Hungarians in Vojvodina - and brought together the Serbian leadership with Viktor Orban. Istvan Pasztor always worked for reconciliation, he always protected Hungarian as well as Serbian interests, and he was ready to compromise, because he knew that there was no progress without agreement.

President Vucic highlighted that "Istvan Pasztor became one of the most crucial figures in Serbia's political scene, without whom it would have been impossible to imagine full stability and the closest relations between Serbs and Hungarians".

After the tributes by political figures, the bells tolled while mourners accompanied Istvan Pasztor on his last journey to where the Vojvodina Hungarian leader was laid to rest, Pannon RTV reported.

Istvan Pasztor led the largest ethnic Hungarian party In Serbia for more than 16 years, from 2007. Most recently, he was re-elected as party chairman in May of this year. He was also a city council representative in Subotica, a member of Parliament in Belgrade, and the president of the Vojvodina Provincial House of Representatives. The year before last, he was awarded the middle cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit with a star, and a year later, the president of the Republic of Serbia awarded the first degree of the Candlemas Day Order of Merit to the president of the VMSZ/SVM. (MTI)

Cover photo: Photo of Istvan Pasztor, President of the Alliance of Hungarians in Vojvodina, displayed at the memorial service at the Bajska (Bajai) Road cemetery in Subotica on November 4, 2023 (Photo: MTI/Zoltan Mathe)