Former President László Sólyom has announced plans to visit Slovakia this Sunday to lay a wreath on the St. Stephen statue in Révkomárom (Komárno), ujszo.com reports. What remains to be seen is if Sólyom will make it across the bridge, or if he’ll be turned away by Slovakian border guards like he was last year.
Former president Sólyom to make renewed attempt to visit Slovakia
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I wonder if he will try to do it on August 21st as last year (anniversary of 1968 invasion).
But I dont expect any problem. Unless he will fetch a troop of magyar guarda guys!!
OK, just joking (about magyar garda)
The main difference this time, is that now he will be visiting Slovakia as a private citizen, and not as the President of the Hungarian Republic
What can be a legal problem though, and which must be agreed upon before, is any armed entourage, like he is likely to be followed by armed body guards
To take arms without prior permission from one EU-country to another, is of course not legal
Also, if not specifically agreed, ex-President Sólyom’s body guards has no legal authority in another country
So, if he wants, Sólyom can fuck it up still
“What remains to be seen is if Sólyom will make it across the bridge, or if he’ll be turned away by Slovakian border guards like he was last year.”
Sólyom wasn’t stopped by Slovakian border guards. He turned back himself because he achieved what he came for. To give his government an argument to launch the legal proceedings against Slovakia on the international field. Hungarian officials would like very much to wander undisturbed throughout their former royal territories of Carpathian Basin while not having to listen to their neigbours’ complaints.
So far, the plan doesn’t seem to be evolving well since EC has already rejected once Hungary’s appeal to ECJ.
Today at a press conference, Hungarian journalists were wondering whether the Slovak officials will be attending the commemorative ceremony for Hungarian-Slovak king St. Stephen. They don’t seem to be equally interested in whether some Hungarian officials would be willing to attend such actions organized also on behalf of St. Cyril and Methodious. Contribution of St. Cyril and Methodious to Eastern European history was at least of comparable importance.
Orban was speaking in the past of the respect that Hungarians and himself should hold towards Slovaks. So perhaps Hungarian journalists could ask their politicians these questions next time.