Hungary “disappointed” over top Slovak court decision on citizenship law

Budapest, September 17 (MTI) – The Hungarian government was disappointed to learn about the Slovak Constitutional Court’s decision to reject, on formal grounds, a request for a constitutional review of Slovakia’s citizenship law, Zsolt Semjen, deputy prime minister for Hungarian communities abroad, said today.

Semjen noted in a statement that anyone who takes up citizenship of another country in Slovakia automatically loses his or her Slovak citizenship.

He added that the Czech Republic, by contrast, had approved a law on Jan. 1, allowing dual citizenship.

Slovakia’s law, seen by many as a response to Hungary making citizenship available to a broader scope of people, in practice penalises Slovaks with citizenships other than Hungarian, he said. “Consequently the law goes against the interests of not only Hungarians but also against other countries’ citizens.”

Semjen said the Hungarian government would continue to provide exhaustive support to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia in protection of their human and citizenship rights.

Photo: MTI – Laszlo Kaszoni

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters