According to FM Szijjártó, there is no threat to Hungarian minority language rights in Slovakia

Dialogue between Hungary and Slovakia on Slovakia’s planned language law is constant at every level, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Thursday, adding that Bratislava had made it clear that it does not want to restrict minority language use.

The policy for Hungarian communities abroad is one of the heartfelt priorities of Hungary’s foreign policy, Szijjártó told a joint press conference with Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár, according to a ministry statement. He added that the government attached great importance to the fate of Slovakia’s ethnic Hungarian community.

Concerning Slovakia’s planned state language law, Szijjártó said the country’s most senior officials had made it clear “that they do not wish to restrict minority language-use rights”. He hailed bilateral relations as a “success story”, noting that Slovakia has become Hungary’s second most important trading partner, with annual trade turnover having stabilised around 15 billion euros.

He welcomed that the two countries now have 40 border crossing points compared with just 22 in 2010. Szijjártó said Hungary and Slovakia ensured each other’s “physical, energy and economic security”. As regards physical security, he said the two countries helped each other combat illegal migration, and Hungary and Czechia patrol Slovakia’s airspace.

“In terms of energy supply, we have shared interests when it comes to the purchase of crude oil and natural gas,” Szijjártó said. “We’ve made it clear that we don’t want to cut off deliveries from the east because … that would gravely endanger both countries’ energy supply.” He also said that while many experts had thought it unnecessary to build the natural gas interconnector linking Hungary and Slovakia, the strategic importance of connecting the two countries’ energy grids “quickly became clear”. Szijjártó also highlighted the role of Slovak firms in the upgrade of Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant.