Ladies and Gentleman, Minority protection continues to provide for a pivotal element of the Hungarian foreign policy. It has been one of the driving elements of Hungary’s Euro-Atlantic integration endeavours, a key component of the establishment of good-neighbourly relations with surrounding countries through basic treaties, including the set-up of bilateral minority protection mechanisms in form of inter-governmental mixed committees on minority issues. Promoting minority protection remains a priority area of Hungary’s engagement in international and regional organisations. It is a key of Hungarian initiatives in the fields of prevention and responsibility to protect in the Human Rights Council and other UN fora. In this context, as a specific Hungarian contribution to international efforts, I would like to highlight the establishment of the Budapest Centre for the International Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities, as well as the Budapest Human Rights Forum which held its (also) seventh annual meeting in Budapest last week with two specific panels devoted respectively to prevention and responsibility to protect in the context of human rights and humanitarian law, as well as to the individual and collective rights of minorities. Mr President, Ms Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Based on Hungary’s long term engagement in and commitment to the promotion of the protection of minorities, I would like to express my country’s full support to the draft recommendations to be adopted by the Forum on preventing and addressing violence and atrocity crimes targeted against minorities. We are confident that once these recommendations are followed by the State and non-State actors, international and regional organizations, they can effectively contribute to the prevention, handling and settlement of violent conflicts targeting minority communities or persons belonging to minorities. My Government will be ready to cooperate and to exchange best practices with all interested partners in the advancement of this very important endeavour Thank you for your kind attention!