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.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said the two governments are preparing another agreement on the development of cross-border infrastructure, including the construction of new bridges, roads and rail links.

On another subject, he said the outcome of the US presidential election had brought about a “completely new political reality”, and there was “a greater chance than ever before for peace to return to central Europe”. He also said that Hungarian-Slovak cooperation based on mutual respect was ensured with “patriotic governments in power on both sides of the Danube”. In response to a question, Szijjártó slammed the European left’s handling of Olivér Várhelyi’s candidacy for the post of EU health commissioner as “pathetic political theatre”.

“Olivér Várhelyi did an excellent job at his confirmation hearing, and it is solely for petty political reasons that the European left is messing around with the Hungarian commissioner candidate,” Szijjártó said. “Unfortunately this phenomenon isn’t anything new, as the left joined forces in excluding the Patriots for Europe group from any leadership positions in the European Parliament.”

Read also:

• New Slovak bill would ban Hungarian language use on trains, buses, trams, and post offices
• Slovakia assures Hungary that the new Slovak language law will not curtail Hungarian minority rights