A junior member of the ruling coalition, the Slovak National Party (SNS), stated on Wednesday that it is defending against one-sided meddling into Slovak internal affairs by Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom. President Solyom was in Komarno on Tuesday, where he met with representatives of the town and unveiled a statue of Hungarian King Andrew the Second. He also met with head of the opposition Hungarian Coalition Party, Pal Csaky.
According to the SNS official statement, presented by its leader Jan Slota, the Hungarian head of state, under the pretext of private visits at alleged invitations from private civic associations, is taking part in political rallies in Slovakia and attacking legal documents that form the basic pillar of Czechoslovak and Slovak statehood.
The SNS said it turned to Foreign Minister Jan Kubis to send a note of protest to the Hungarian Presidential Office and the Hungarian Foreign Ministry as soon as possible, to explain that such behavior by the head of a neighboring country is unacceptable and, at the very least, unusual within standard contact among EU countries. The SNS stated that it is observing with concern the actions of official Hungarian agencies, which are exploiting friendly relations with the Slovak Republic and knowingly heightening already tense relations between the countries.
The press cited the Hungarian president as saying that the Slovak parliamentary declaration on the inviolability of the Benes Decrees was bolt from the blue for him. Mr. Csaky also reported to the president that the Hungarian university in Komarno might lose its university status and that it is possible that Slovak Radio will stop its Hungarian broadcast. However, President Solyom says that he was not on an official visit in Slovakia.
StoryEditor