Slovenia

Hungary-Slovenia cooperation “exemplary”, says parliamentary speaker

Budapest, October 30 (MTI) – Parliamentary Speaker Laszlo Kover called Hungarian-Slovenian relations “exemplary” and “smooth” after he held talks with the speaker of that neighbouring country’s National Assembly, on Friday.

Kover first discussed with Milan Brglez the migrant situation and he told a joint press conference after the meeting that the two sides reassured one another about cooperation and solidarity.

Kover said he told his partner that Hungary will help Slovenia as best as it can to help that country in tackling the migrant situation.

Brglez said that ties between the two countries were strong and thanked contributions Hungary had already provided to help Slovenia tackle the migrant crisis and the additional offer it has made on further contribution.

The two politicians also discussed the situation of Hungarian and Slovenian minorities in each other’s countries.

Kover noted the Hungarian government’s efforts towards supporting the Slovenian minority “who belong to Hungary’s culture and national community … and have a right to preserve their self-identity.”

Brglez said these two minorities serve as a bond between the two countries which must be further strengthened and they both should be included in a form of regional cooperation.

Prior to their meeting held in Sarvar the two politicians laid a wreath at the memorial plaque marking the site of a WWII internment camp operated in the town in western Hungary and placed flowers in memory of the camp’s victims in the local cemetery.

In the camp 589 Slovenians died between April 1942 and April 1945.

The commemoration was attended by the ambassadors of the two countries.

Photo: MTI

What the Slovenian-Austrian border looks like – Photos

As Daily News Hungary wrote, Slovenia can also build a fence at the Croatian border, since the country fears Austria will not take more migrants. Thousands of people have arrived in the country in a few days, and they want to continue their journey towards Austria. The photos were taken by Balazs Beli, photographer of alfahir.hu who also won the Hungarian Press Photo Award in 2015.

based on the article of alfahir.hu
translated by BA

Photos: Balazs Beli / alfahir.hu

Hungary to offer 50 officers to help Slovenian border control

Budapest, October 29 (MTI) – Fifty Hungarian police officers will be given border control tasks on the Slovenian border, authorities agreed on Thursday, as part of preparations for a Hungarian-Slovenian cooperation meeting.

The national police headquarters ORFK said on its website, police.hu, that the cooperation will be sealed by an agreement between the interior ministers of the two countries.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after a migration summit in Brussels on Sunday that Hungary is ready to help countries on the migration route.

Photo: MTI

Slovenia can also build fence

According to index.hu, Slovenia can immediately start the construction of a fence along the Croatian border, if the government considers it necessary, but it hopes the influx of refugees will slow down as a result of the European Union measures – Prime Minister Miro Cerar said after the Wednesday’s meeting of the Slovenian National Security Council.

Cerar added his country still wary of the fence building, “because we are against the Europe of walls”, but the Slovenian government “is ready to defend its nationals, the law and order”, if the EU policy was failed.

The Wednesday’s meeting of the council was convened by Prime Minister Miro Cerar, but Foreign Minister Karl Erjavac had already referred the plans related to the strengthening of the borders on Tuesday.

Since Tuesday afternoon, 3500 refugees have been transported by the Croatian authorities from Tovarnik, Eastern Slavonia to Dobova, a Slovenian settlement near the Croatian border. The Slovenian authorities register the immigrants in the trains. Police chiefs of the two countries agreed on the new humanitarian corridor – Croatian newspaper Vecernij List wrote on Wednesday. The first train arrived with 1100 refugees from Tovarnik to Dobova on Tuesday afternoon, then another train arrived, and two other in the morning. The Slovenian police confirmed the communication is much better with the Croatian colleagues than it was before and they said the new system is consulted and works well, index.hu wrote.

However, the Slovenian police rule out refugees to be transported directly to other train stations of the country. Slovenia fears that Austria will introduce restrictions against refugees and will not let them in – the Croatian paper wrote.

According to the latest data of the Slovenian police, 89 789 immigrants were registered in the last twelve days, and 63 715 went to Austria.

2800 people stayed at the reception center in Brezice on Wednesday morning, and 4100 people stayed at the old and new camps in Dobova. They are registered and going to be sent to the transit centers close to the Austrian border and to other refugee camps operating in other parts of the country.

based on the article of index.hu
translated by BA

Photo: MTI

Migrants on Slovenia side of border reason for reinstating border controls – PHOTOS

Budapest, October 17 (MTI) – The arrival of migrants to the Slovenian side of the border near Redics, in southwest Hungary, was the reason that Hungary decided to temporarily reinstate border controls under Schengen rules, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said on Saturday.

Kovacs told a press conference that the migrants had been directed by Croatia in the direction of the Slovenian-Hungarian border after Hungary had sealed its “green” border with Croatia effective of midnight on Friday.

Hungary has informed the Slovenian authorities and the European Commission about the measure which will remain in force as long as necessary, he added.

Gyorgy Bakondi, chief advisor to the prime minister, said around 150 illegal migrants had arrived by bus at the Redics crossing on Saturday morning. The Slovenian authorities said the migrants had been registered and none of them entered Hungary.

Bakondi also said that “no extraordinary events” have been reported along the Hungarian-Croatian border.

Until midnight 6,353 people crossed illegally to Hungary on Friday, 23 of them at the Hungarian-Serbian border, Bakondi said.

So far this year, 389,779 illegal entrants have been taken up, of whom 176,404 applied for asylum, he said.

Photo: MTI

Slovenians make closing of the border dependent on the Austrians

Daily News Hungary

It is not possible to conclude that Germany will not take more migrants, but Slovenia has to close its borders, if the neighboring Austria does it as well, Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said at the meeting of the Ljubljana legislature’s foreign committee, index.hu wrote.

“If Austria strengthens its border protection because of the refugee crisis, and Hungary also closes its green border from the migrants, then Slovenia has to introduce the same measures like Austria does, I see no other solution”. He added, it is his personal opinion, not the government’s official position.

He thinks Serbia’s position is unthinkable for Slovenia, since 150 thousand  people arrived in the country.

The Slovenian national defense council decided at its Tuesday’s meeting convened by Prime Minister Miro Cerar that Ljubljana is still preparing for the reception of a second wave of refugees, which is why a transit center was built in Sentilj, at the Austrian border.

based on the article of index.hu
translated by BA

Hungary, Slovenia to jointly patrol common border

Budapest, September 28 (MTI) – Hungarian and Slovenian police will jointly patrol the two countries’ common border along its entire section, the Hungarian interior minister said on Monday.

Sandor Pinter held talks with Vesna Gyorkos Znidar, his Slovenian counterpart, and police chiefs of the two countries at Dolga Vas (Hosszufalu), a settlement right on the Slovenian side of the border.

They decided on joint patrols and keeping an information exchange flow on the actual migrant situation, Pinter told reporters at the Dolga Vas-Redics crossing point.

Hungary is in an extremely difficult situation facing migration pressure from Croatia, from where close to 25,000 migrants crossed illegally to the country just during this past weekend, Pinter said.

Asked about the pledged closing of the Hungarian-Croatian “green” border, Pinter said no exact date has so far been set. He added, however, that “we are under rather huge pressure, [so] it all depends on how we are going to manage this tide of illegal migrants.”

Gyorkos Znidar said the razor wire barrier Hungary temporarily installed on the common border “did not threaten relations between the two countries.”

The barrier was removed on Friday afternoon, Hungary’s interior ministry said, emphasising that it was only installed for an experimental purpose, in connection with the security fence built along Hungary’s border with Serbia and Croatia over the past few weeks.

Gyorkos Znidar however said that Slovenia had not been notified of the barrier in advance, but “things then took a positive turn” with communication received later on.

She said since the two countries “are facing a common problem,” it is important for Slovenia to receive up-to-date information on the migration situation in Hungary.

“Intensive cooperation with Hungary is important so that we can manage the migration situation in a collective effort,” Gyorkos Znidar said.

Photo: MTI

Hungary lays razor wire at Slovenian border – UPDATE

Budapest, September 24 (MTI) – Hungary has started laying a razor wire along its border with Slovenia, a local MTI correspondent reported on Thursday.

Police and soldiers are at work at the Tornyiszentmiklos-Pince border crossing, at the junction of the M70 highway and the Slovenian A5 motorway, as well as at a border crossing that was built on the old road a few hundred metres from the motorway. Movable steel gates have been installed and soldiers are laying three parallel razor wire fences across green areas, the correspondent said.

Traffic has not been interrupted on either side of the border.

Hungary not building permanent border protection infrastructure on Slovenia border

The foreign minister has consulted with his Slovene counterpart Karl Erjavec by phone and told him that Hungary is not building permanent border protection infrastructure on the Hungarian-Slovene border, the ministry said on Thursday.

Peter Szijjarto told Erjavec that the interior ministers of the two countries had previously discussed the necessary steps in case Croatia starts transporting migrants towards Slovenia. Preparatory field work at the Hungarian-Slovene border is currently carried out accordingly, the ministry said.

Szijjarto assured Erjavec that in case temporary border protection is required, its implementation will be preceded by consultations with Slovenia.

Photo: MTI

Hungarian, Slovenian presidents urge joint European solution to migration

Budapest, September 3 (MTI) – No single country is able to resolve the problems connected with migration; a joint European solution is needed, President Janos Ader said after meeting Slovene counterpart Borut Pahor on Thursday.

Ader said this is primarily a humanitarian problem because it is necessary to get people safe before the start of winter. Additionally, there is a criminal problem because human smugglers unscrupulously abuse the vulnerability of hundreds of thousands of migrants travelling to Europe. And it is also necessary to face what is undeniably a national security problem, he added.

Ader asked his Slovene counterpart to consider whether his country could support setting up a common EU fund to finance the establishment and operation of refugee camps in countries where the migrants first arrive and are given safety.

Pahor said the 2008 economic crisis could be overcome with the help of European measures; once again, joint efforts are needed.

Photo: MTI

Hungarian Gripens carry out missions in Slovenia

Daily News Hungary

Budapest, July 7 (MTI) – Gripen fighters of the Hungarian Defence Forces completed two missions in Slovenian airspace as part of Hungary’s commitments to NATO, the defence ministry told MTI on Tuesday.

The Hungarian pilots intercepted and ID’d two aircraft during their missions, the ministry said. The ministry noted that as of October 2014, Hungary and Italy have been in charge of air control operations in Slovenia.

Starting in September this year, Hungary will be in charge of protecting the airspace of the three Baltic NATO member countries for four months, the ministry said, adding that the various commitments will allow Hungary to use its air force outside its borders.

Hungary’ Gripen aircraft will also contribute to the joint EU Battle Group set up by the Visegrad Four countries, in the first half of 2016, the ministry added.

TODAY – 95th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon

trianon treaty hungary

The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement on June 4th 1920 which formally ended World War I. between most of the Allies and the Kingdom of Hungary.  As a result, Hungary lost the 2/3 of its territories and people.

The treaty was actually a dictation, because Hungary was only invited for the signature of the document. It was signed at the Grand Trianon Palace in Version, France. All of the neighboring countries received territories from Hungary, even Austria, which was also a loser of the war.

Count Albert Apponyi arrived to the negotiations with later Prime Ministers István Bethlen and Pál Teleki. The latter presented his famous “Red map”, which marked the territories of Hungarian majority with red. However, the delegation was placed under house arrest, and they couldn’t participate in the conference. Apponyi could tell his famous plea after the closing of the negotiations. Finally, he signed the treaty on June 4 1920.

Romania received the biggest area from Hungary, 102.803 km2. It includes Transylvania, Partium and Bánát.

Czechoslovakia got the second largest territory, Upper Hungary, Transcarpathia (now it is owned by Ukraine) and Csallóküöz. The total area is more than 61 thousand km2.

The newly-formed (and short-lived) State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs obtained Srem, Drávaköz, Backa, Bánát and Muraköz, a total of 20.829 km2. Croatia (more than 42 thousand km2) was also the part of the Kingdom of Hungary until that.

It is interesting that even Austria received territory: Burgenland (4020 km2). Moreover, Poland also got a few settlements from Hungary.

This treaty result a quite homogenous state in the rest of Hungary, but 10% of the people still had another mother tongue than Hungarian (most of them spoke German).

Unfortunately, Trianon created several problems, and most of them afflicted the Hungarians remained across the borders.

Approximately 3.3 million Hungarians left outside Hungary.

Nowadays, 95 years after the treaty, there are several initiatives in connection with this tragedy. For example, on March 11, Szekely Freedom Day was held, which peacefully protested for the autonomy of Hungarian-speaking Székelys in Transylvania, Romania.

Photo: http://www.americanhungarianfederation.org

8 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TRIANON, A HUNGARIAN NATIONAL TRAGEDY

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT TRIANON, A HUNGARIAN NATIONAL TRAGEDY? – QUIZ

Kover says Hungary-Slovenia relations “exemplary”

Lenart, Slovenia (MTI) – Ties between Hungary and Slovenia, and the way the two countries have arranged their relations so as to be not only problem-free but freighted with an expressly good outlook, can be held as an example to other countries and peoples, Hungary’s speaker of parliament said on Saturday after meeting his counterpart in Lenart (Lendva).

After informal talks with Milan Brglez, Kover said at a joint press conference that an important element in the success of ties was an ability to confront the past with honesty and for each other’s minorities to be treated with respect.

“But our relations are about far more than that,” he said, adding that there was an abundance of possibilities in the building of economic infrastructure that “we have just begun to map”. Kover promised his counterpart to do everything possible as speaker to ensure that lawmakers have an important role to play in making connections between the two nations even closer.

Photo: MTI