Diplomatic interference? Hungarian ambassador to Slovakia summoned over Szijjártó’s words

The Hungarian ambassador in Bratislava was summoned by the Slovak Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in reference to statements made by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, the Slovak ministry said, according to the Slovak public news agency TASR.

What happened? Hungarian ambassador to Slovakia summoned

Ambassador Csaba Balogh was asked to convey to the head of Hungarian diplomacy the Slovak side’s reservations about “interference in the Slovak election campaign and support for specific political subjects”, Portfolio reports.

The Slovak Foreign Ministry believes that such actions go beyond standard diplomatic communication, the ministry said, referring to statements made by Péter Szijjártó during his visit to southern Slovakia on 26 and 27 September. They added that Slovakia is interested in building normal neighbourly relations with Hungary.

What words triggered this?

Péter Szijjártó gave an interview to the Slovakian Hungarian newspaper and news portal Új Szó on Wednesday. In the interview, he said that he would like the Hungarian party in Slovakia, the Alliance (Aliancia-Szövetség), to be successful.

“We are rooting for the Alliance, not because we are interested in the Slovak domestic political outcome, but because we want good relations with Slovakia.

And in good Slovak-Hungarian relations, we always see Hungarians in the Highlands (part of Slovakia where Hungarians live – ed.) as a source of strength and a connecting link. We believe that if we have a strong representation of Hungarians from the Highlands in Bratislava, it will help us to maintain Hungarian-Slovak relations at the high level they are already at, or even improve them further,” Szijjártó said.

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MTI: Szijjártó says ‘not interfering’ in Slovak internal affairs

Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, has dismissed criticism of his visit to Slovakia ahead of the general election, saying it was legitimate to take part in a public event in the company of candidates of the ethnic Hungarian Alliance.

“I was invited to Slovakia to inaugurate a Hungarian government-funded investment that will create local jobs, and to formally open a new road … linking our countries,” Szijjártó said in an interview published in local Hungarian daily Uj Szo on Wednesday.

Expressing hope that the Alliance would be successful in Slovakia, Szijjártó said: “Interestingly, almost all Slovak politicians have expressed the same wish to me.”

He said Hungary relied on strong representation in Bratislava to help shape bilateral relations.

Based on experiences in Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia, Szijjártó said the Hungarian community’s  strong representation in those countries’ capitals advanced Hungary’s bilateral relations. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the Alliance party … because we want good relations with Slovakia,” he added.

Asked about his recent comments on Slovak domestic affairs, Szijjártó said that it was “hard not to notice” that every time a general election approached, conservative and patriotic politicians who endorsed national values “end up in court”.

“This has been the case in the United States and Czechia, too,” he said. “Of course it is entirely coincidental that a legal proceeding has just reached that phase in Slovakia.”

Asked why he had expressed support for the Smer party led by former prime minister Robert Fico, Szijjártó said: “I have never ever stood up for any party in Slovakia.”

“If Robert Fico becomes prime minister … then we will certainly have disputes, but there’ll also be issues on which we can cooperate…” He dismissed interpretions of his meeting with Fico as “a statement in support of Smer”.

Concerning the ban of dual citizenship in Slovakia, Szijjártó said: “It’s an issue which we never agreed on, and I don’t know if we ever will … We’ll never change our position on this, and I’m afraid the former prime minister won’t either, so this will surely not be an issue on which we could cooperate, or we could have mutual understanding.”

Asked about the large number of Middle Eastern asylum seekers amassing in southern Slovakia ahead of the upcoming elections, Szijjártó said: “Let’s not pretend that migration’s a new development … illegal migrants and people smugglers are armed, and Brussels continues to deny us any help in protecting the external borders of the EU.”

Answering a question about Poland, Szijjártó said their respective governments engaged in “extremely close cooperation regarding all European affairs” despite their different approaches to achieving peace in Ukraine, which had “driven us in different directions”.