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.”