Acting Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer will not apologise for saying Hungary could make territorial demands for the Hungarian-majority region of southern Slovakia should Russia manage to conquer Ukraine.
The comments were made during a TV show on Tuesday which was swiftly followed by the Slovakian ambassador to Hungary being summoned to the foreign ministry by foreign affairs official Tamas Menczer over the “unacceptable, nonsensical lies”.
During the broadcast on Markiza TV channel, Káčer said, “had Vladimir Putin succeeded in Ukraine, Hungary would have already made territorial claims against Slovakia”. He also added that “this topic is already relevant, that is why it is especially important for Slovakia that Putin fails in Ukraine.”
But the comments did not sit well with Hungary.
“Europe is facing major crises, and times like these call for sober-minded politicians”, Menczer said on Facebook, adding, “Slovakia’s current foreign minister isn’t one.”
Despite the outrage in Budapest and the calls for apologies, Káčer refused to back down.
“I will not apologise to anyone for protecting the interests of my country. That I consider its territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom to be the holy grail of our diplomatic efforts,” Káčer wrote in a Facebook post.
Explaining his comments, Káčer said they were not meant to criticise Hungarians, but the specific policies of the current Hungarian leadership, which he said turned “the leader of the fight for democracy in the 90s into a black hole on the European political map and Trojan horse for Putin’s interests.”
Last autumn, Káčer got into another dispute with Hungary when he said he was disgusted over a scarf portraying Greater Hungary that was worn by Orbán at a football game.
(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)
Source: euractiv.com
