Relations between Hungary and Slovakia have reached a 20-year nadir, Bela Bugar, former head of Slovakia’s ethnic Hungarian Coalition Party (MKP) said on Thursday.
Speaking in an interview to the Slovak national daily Pravda, Bugar said that bilateral ties in terms of “tension, an adversarial atmosphere and fear” were worse than they were during the nationalist Meciar government between 1994-98.
Bugar blamed not only the Slovak government for the deterioration but MKP leader Pal Csaky, his successor in 2007, and said that Csaky’s “bad mediation skills” have now isolated the ethnic Hungarian party from both the Slovak government and the opposition.
Hungarian-Slovak relations have been strained for the last couple of years, ever since the government of Robert Fico formed a coalition with a nationalist party, whose leader, Jan Slota, has stoked anti-Hungarian sentiment.
A serious build-up in tension was triggered by a soccer game in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia, on November 1, when riot police assaulted Hungarian fans. Hungarians have since mounted demonstrations in Budapest against the police action, during which radicals burned the Slovak flag.
“Dunajska Streda, Slovakia”? Would it kill you to call it Dunaszerdahely, so the 80% Hungarian majority living there would recognize the name of their own town?
Sincerely,
Stan from BudajskaPesta.
Stan, look at the caboodle.hu, also names Dunaszerdahely as Dunajska-Streda , regarding the news about traffic signs been sprayed off. Also never mentions a damn thing about Hungarian signs removed.
These websites are completely biased in one way or another. And they are surprised, that the people don’t trust media outlets anymore.
Good old Bugar. Slovaks liked him as well. On the todays H/S situation has Csaky his part as big as Slota. This eely intrigant is doing anything to keep this mess. Hed doesen’t want peace at all.
I would like to express my sincere regrets that things have gone so badly between SVK and HU. Sometimes passions run high and I hope things will turn out just fine. Maybe it isn’t such a good idea to tipe under the influence of irritation. Just in case: apologies if I hurt anybody’s feelings. Best wishes to Hungary. Difficult History, but great country, great people!
My intentionally offensive remarks about Slovaks was only an example: verbal abuse is just that, no reason to react to a litle flag waving with police brutality. You say something bad about my mom, I say something even worse about yours, than we have a few drinks and go home. At least this is how it used to be around here.