2009 ban of Hungarian President from Slovakia
Encyclopedia
Hungarian president László Sólyom
was not allowed to step on Slovak
soil on August 21, 2009, as he was about to attend the unveiling of a statue of St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary
(1000–1038), in Komárno
, Slovakia , a town near the Hungarian border, where ethnic Hungarians form the majority of the population.
The only official reason given for the denial was that the Hungarian president's visit might have constituted a security risk. Slovak prime minister Robert Fico
had claimed that police would be unable to prevent Slovak extremist groups from disturbing the ceremony.
In the two days preceding the visit, Slovakia had raised four other objections to the planned trip:
Declaring the Hungarian head of state an unwelcome person (essentially persona non grata
, although this term was not used) created additional diplomatic conflict in already tense Hungary–Slovakia relations
.
was invited by a civic association, Szent István Szobor Bizottság ("St. Stephen Statue Committee"), to a statue unveiling ceremony in Komárno
, Slovakia .
Both the Catholic
and the Orthodox
churches regard King Stephen as a saint for his role in converting the peoples of his kingdom to Christianity
. Pope Gregory VII
canonized him, his son and a bishop; August 20, 1083, the day of the canonization, is a public holiday in Hungary, regarded as the foundation of Hungarian statehood. In his Admonitions to his son, he declared, as cited in the planned speech of Sólyom for the unveiling:
The Komárno statue was due to be unveiled on the day after this anniversary, that is, on August 21, 2009.
The erection of the statue itself was criticized in February 2009 by the extremist and nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS), one of the parties in Slovakia's governing coalition, because the town had not erected statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius
, two Byzantine Greek missionaries among the Slavic peoples
of Great Moravia
and Pannonia
. The statue was consequently placed only on the balcony of the Matica Slovenská
, a cultural and scientific institution focusing on Slovakia-related topics..
said on August 19 that he could not prevent Sólyom from entering the country and sent a letter to the Hungarian embassy warning of potential security risks, saying that his SMER party government would not prevent extremists of the nationalist Slovenská pospolitosť (Slovak Brotherhood) from going there to demonstrate.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, there were no real security risks involved around the ceremony:
Two days before the planned visit, the Slovak parliamentary foreign affairs committee called the trip "a diplomatic provocation" because of the August 21 date, although the date was chosen by the mayor of Komárno, not by Sólyom.
August 21 is the anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
led by the Soviet Union
after the 1968 Prague Spring
. Being a Warsaw Pact state, the People's Republic of Hungary
also sent troops into Slovakia; Poland
and Bulgaria also took part in the Soviet putsch.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico compared László Sólyom to the soldiers invading Czechoslovakia: "In 1968 Hungarian tanks were coming to Slovakia. Now it's someone in a fancy limousine."
Hungarian prime minister Bajnai
telephoned his Slovak counterpart on the phone to reassure him that the visit was unconnected with the 1968 events and reminding him that in 2008, the 40th anniversary of the Prague Spring, Sólyom had made a speech officially expressing his regret at the 1968 invasion.
However some in the Slovak press questioned if Fico were truly troubled by the date; the Slovak paper SME wrote:
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called this statement a lie, claiming that Hungary only informed Slovakia on August 13. Foreign Minister of Hungary, Péter Balázs
retorted that the named date, August 13, was the start of the technical preparations and not the notification, which had happened on June 19.
(President of the Republic), Robert Fico
(Prime Minister) and Ivan Paska (Chairman of the Parliament) stated in a common declaration that the visit is a "deliberate provocation against Slovakia".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary noted:
Previously, the Slovak diplomacy informed the Hungarian diplomacy that Ivan Gašparovič
Slovak Head of State will be on vacation on the day of the visit. Gašparovič declared earlier that he would only accept any invitations if the town also erects statues about Saints Cyril and Methodius
.
Neither Gašparovič nor Fico distanced themselves from government party leader Ján Slota for his earlier comments disparaging Saint Stephen, the king portrayed by the Komárno staue, as a "clown on a horse". Fico made further attacks on Saint Stephen and also said Slovaks should not consider him as their king.
.
Ivan Gašparovič
, President of the Slovak Republic called the visit an "inconsiderate decision", stating to the press that he is not surprised because he knows Sólyom "likes to prowl around" in the countries that are in the area of the pre-1920 Kingdom of Hungary
.
Back then, Fico said they can not and will not prevent Sólyom from entering the country.
.jpg)
On August 20, Miroslav Lajčák
, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia officially informed Antal Heizer, ambassador of Hungary in Bratislava
that László Sólyom is not recommended to cross the border on the next day. He also called Péter Balázs
, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs on the phone about the issue.
, President of the Slovak Republic asked László Sólyom to think over the visit.
He said if despite the message, Sólyom decides to visit the unveiling, Slovak authorities must do everything to protect him.
László Sólyom sent a message to Gašparovič in which he indicated that he maintains his intentions about unveiling the statue. He wrote in the message that he informed Slovakia in time and no objections have been raised earlier about the date. He also made clear that he already expressed his regret about the aggression against Czechoslovakia in a public speech on the 40th anniversary in 2008.
Fico also told the press that Slovak authorities would not prevent the president from crossing the border by physical force, but they will consider it as a serious provocation if he still enters Slovakia. Miroslav Lajčák
, Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs said the relations of Hungary and Slovakia have already been harmed by this issue.
On the border Ján Packa
, executive of the police of Slovakia and a great number of policemen were waiting..
President Sólyom did not enter Slovakia, after the embassy received a document stating that Sólyom is refused entry into Slovakia:
He walked to the middle of the bridge over the Danube leading from Hungarian Komárom to Slovak Komárno and held a press conference about the events on the Hungarian side of the border. He stated:
The speeches before the unveiling were about the needed cooperation, and encouraged peace between the two countries, which was received with applause by the mainly Hungarian celebrators.
A few Slovak protesters attended the ceremony, with signs saying among others "Sólyom, go home".
Antal Heizer, ambassador of Hungary in Bratislava read the planned ceremonial speech of László Sólyom to the crowd.
Hungarian politicians of Slovakia took part in the ceremony, among others the mayor of the town, Tibor Bastrnák.
Péter Balázs Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs - cutting his vacation short - called in the Slovak ambassador Peter Weiss and protested the unprecedented act coming from an EU and NATO member state. Péter Balázs asked for explanation.
The chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of Hungary, Zsolt Németh declared:
He also claimed that it is the duty of the international community to find a way of driving Slovakia back to the road of respecting human rights and minority rights.
The political parties of Hungary have also protested against the Slovak decision. The governing Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) said, it is definitely Slovakia who is responsible for the worsened relations, who as a young nation state seek their identity, which sometimes turns into fierce nationalism.
wrote:
More liberal and less pro-government papers have also condemned the Slovak reaction, not only Sólyom. As Peter Morvay of SME wrote:
Most of these media empires are regularly accused of being the sole advocates of the opposition (fueled mostly by the prime minister's attacks on the media). Yet numerous members of the opposition have agreed with the ban. Mikuláš Dzurinda
, president of the leading opposition party SDKÚ has been quoted to say that Sólyom is instigating conflicts. Pavol Abrhán, member of the opposite KDH has suggested that a diplomatic note should be sent to Hungary.
Another daily, Lidové noviny wrote an article in a similar tone:
László Sólyom
László Sólyom is a Hungarian political figure, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 to 2010. Previously he was President of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 1990 to 1998....
was not allowed to step on Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
soil on August 21, 2009, as he was about to attend the unveiling of a statue of St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
(1000–1038), in Komárno
Komárno
Komárno is a town in Slovakia at the confluence of the Danube and the Váh rivers. Komárno was formed from part of a historical town in Hungary situated on both banks of the Danube. Following World War I, the border of the newly created Czechoslovakia cut the historical, unified town in half,...
, Slovakia , a town near the Hungarian border, where ethnic Hungarians form the majority of the population.
The only official reason given for the denial was that the Hungarian president's visit might have constituted a security risk. Slovak prime minister Robert Fico
Robert Fico
Robert Fico served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from July 4, 2006 to July 8, 2010.He is the leader of the left-wing party Direction – Social Democracy . The party won the parliamentary elections in 2006, receiving approximately 30 percent of the cast votes...
had claimed that police would be unable to prevent Slovak extremist groups from disturbing the ceremony.
In the two days preceding the visit, Slovakia had raised four other objections to the planned trip:
- The ceremony might suggest a claim of Hungarian sovereignty over Slovak soil.
- Slovakia was informed late about the visit.
- The date of the visit fell one day after the Hungarian national holidayPublic holidays in Hungary- Fixed public holidays :- Remembrance days endorsed by the state :Remembrance Days are working days in Hungary.- Holidays not endorsed by the state :- Special events :...
commemorating St. Stephen and coincided with the Warsaw Pact invasion of CzechoslovakiaWarsaw Pact invasion of CzechoslovakiaOn the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
. - Slovak leaders were not invited, nor did the president have plans to meet with them.
Declaring the Hungarian head of state an unwelcome person (essentially persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
, although this term was not used) created additional diplomatic conflict in already tense Hungary–Slovakia relations
Hungary–Slovakia relations
Hungary–Slovakia relations are the foreign relations between the Republic of Hungary and the Slovak Republic, two neighbouring countries in Central Europe. The countries established diplomatic relations in 1993, the year when Slovakia became independent of Czechoslovakia. Hungary has an embassy in...
.
Purpose of the planned visit
László SólyomLászló Sólyom
László Sólyom is a Hungarian political figure, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 to 2010. Previously he was President of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 1990 to 1998....
was invited by a civic association, Szent István Szobor Bizottság ("St. Stephen Statue Committee"), to a statue unveiling ceremony in Komárno
Komárno
Komárno is a town in Slovakia at the confluence of the Danube and the Váh rivers. Komárno was formed from part of a historical town in Hungary situated on both banks of the Danube. Following World War I, the border of the newly created Czechoslovakia cut the historical, unified town in half,...
, Slovakia .
Both the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and the Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
churches regard King Stephen as a saint for his role in converting the peoples of his kingdom to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
canonized him, his son and a bishop; August 20, 1083, the day of the canonization, is a public holiday in Hungary, regarded as the foundation of Hungarian statehood. In his Admonitions to his son, he declared, as cited in the planned speech of Sólyom for the unveiling:
The Komárno statue was due to be unveiled on the day after this anniversary, that is, on August 21, 2009.
The erection of the statue itself was criticized in February 2009 by the extremist and nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS), one of the parties in Slovakia's governing coalition, because the town had not erected statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
, two Byzantine Greek missionaries among the Slavic peoples
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
of Great Moravia
Great Moravia
Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
and Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
. The statue was consequently placed only on the balcony of the Matica Slovenská
Matica slovenská
The Matica slovenská Mother) is Slovakia's public-law cultural and scientific institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation. It is based in the city of Martin...
, a cultural and scientific institution focusing on Slovakia-related topics..
Security risk
Slovak Prime Minister Robert FicoRobert Fico
Robert Fico served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from July 4, 2006 to July 8, 2010.He is the leader of the left-wing party Direction – Social Democracy . The party won the parliamentary elections in 2006, receiving approximately 30 percent of the cast votes...
said on August 19 that he could not prevent Sólyom from entering the country and sent a letter to the Hungarian embassy warning of potential security risks, saying that his SMER party government would not prevent extremists of the nationalist Slovenská pospolitosť (Slovak Brotherhood) from going there to demonstrate.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, there were no real security risks involved around the ceremony:
Date
August 21 is the anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
led by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
after the 1968 Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
. Being a Warsaw Pact state, the People's Republic of Hungary
People's Republic of Hungary
The People's Republic of Hungary or Hungarian People's Republic was the official state name of Hungary from 1949 to 1989 during its Communist period under the guidance of the Soviet Union. The state remained in existence until 1989 when opposition forces consolidated in forcing the regime to...
also sent troops into Slovakia; Poland
History of Poland (1945–1989)
The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance imposed after the end of World War II over the People's Republic of Poland...
and Bulgaria also took part in the Soviet putsch.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico compared László Sólyom to the soldiers invading Czechoslovakia: "In 1968 Hungarian tanks were coming to Slovakia. Now it's someone in a fancy limousine."
Hungarian prime minister Bajnai
Gordon Bajnai
György Gordon Bajnai was the seventh Prime Minister of Hungary from 2009 to 2010. In March 2009, following Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's announced resignation, Bajnai was nominated by the ruling MSZP party to become Hungary's next prime minister...
telephoned his Slovak counterpart on the phone to reassure him that the visit was unconnected with the 1968 events and reminding him that in 2008, the 40th anniversary of the Prague Spring, Sólyom had made a speech officially expressing his regret at the 1968 invasion.
However some in the Slovak press questioned if Fico were truly troubled by the date; the Slovak paper SME wrote:
Late notification
On June 19, 2009, Sólyom had notified Peter Weiss, Slovakia's ambassador to Hungary, of the planned visit, regarded as the "highest level of official notification" in diplomacy.. Sólyom's office stated that Slovakia had mentioned no objections to the trip until the week of the planned visit.:Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called this statement a lie, claiming that Hungary only informed Slovakia on August 13. Foreign Minister of Hungary, Péter Balázs
Péter Balázs
Péter Balázs is a Hungarian politician and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, born in Kecskemét, 1941. In addition to his native Hungarian, he also speaks English, French, German and Russian....
retorted that the named date, August 13, was the start of the technical preparations and not the notification, which had happened on June 19.
Stressing Hungarian statehood in inappropriate circumstances
The three main leaders of Slovakia Ivan GašparovičIvan Gašparovic
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since 15 June 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.-Biography:...
(President of the Republic), Robert Fico
Robert Fico
Robert Fico served as the Prime Minister of Slovakia from July 4, 2006 to July 8, 2010.He is the leader of the left-wing party Direction – Social Democracy . The party won the parliamentary elections in 2006, receiving approximately 30 percent of the cast votes...
(Prime Minister) and Ivan Paska (Chairman of the Parliament) stated in a common declaration that the visit is a "deliberate provocation against Slovakia".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary noted:
No plans of meeting Slovak leaders
Slovaks have criticised Sólyom for not inviting Slovak leaders to the ceremony or meeting them somewhere else, even though Sólyom was not the organizer of the ceremony, as it was organized by the town of Komárno.Previously, the Slovak diplomacy informed the Hungarian diplomacy that Ivan Gašparovič
Ivan Gašparovic
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since 15 June 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.-Biography:...
Slovak Head of State will be on vacation on the day of the visit. Gašparovič declared earlier that he would only accept any invitations if the town also erects statues about Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
.
Neither Gašparovič nor Fico distanced themselves from government party leader Ján Slota for his earlier comments disparaging Saint Stephen, the king portrayed by the Komárno staue, as a "clown on a horse". Fico made further attacks on Saint Stephen and also said Slovaks should not consider him as their king.
June 19
On June 19, László Sólyom met the new ambassador of Slovakia to Hungary, Peter Weiss. On this meeting Sólyom informed Weiss about the planned ceremony he was invited to, and that he intends to go there.August 19
Two days before the planned visit, on August 19, the committee of foreign affairs of the Slovak Parliament called the trip a diplomatic provocation because of the date August 21, anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of CzechoslovakiaWarsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
.
Ivan Gašparovič
Ivan Gašparovic
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since 15 June 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.-Biography:...
, President of the Slovak Republic called the visit an "inconsiderate decision", stating to the press that he is not surprised because he knows Sólyom "likes to prowl around" in the countries that are in the area of the pre-1920 Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
.
Back then, Fico said they can not and will not prevent Sólyom from entering the country.
August 20
Miroslav Lajcák
Dr. Miroslav Lajčák is a Slovak diplomat.Lajčák is a law graduate from the Comenius University in Bratislava. He holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the State Institute of International Relations in Moscow and is also a graduate of the George C...
, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia officially informed Antal Heizer, ambassador of Hungary in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
that László Sólyom is not recommended to cross the border on the next day. He also called Péter Balázs
Péter Balázs
Péter Balázs is a Hungarian politician and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, born in Kecskemét, 1941. In addition to his native Hungarian, he also speaks English, French, German and Russian....
, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs on the phone about the issue.
August 21
On Friday, August 21, Ivan GašparovičIvan Gašparovic
Ivan Gašparovič is a Slovak politician and law professor who has been the President of Slovakia since 15 June 2004. He is also the first Slovak president to be re-elected.-Biography:...
, President of the Slovak Republic asked László Sólyom to think over the visit.
He said if despite the message, Sólyom decides to visit the unveiling, Slovak authorities must do everything to protect him.
László Sólyom sent a message to Gašparovič in which he indicated that he maintains his intentions about unveiling the statue. He wrote in the message that he informed Slovakia in time and no objections have been raised earlier about the date. He also made clear that he already expressed his regret about the aggression against Czechoslovakia in a public speech on the 40th anniversary in 2008.
Denial of entry
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced in the afternoon, hours before the unveiling that Sólyom will be not allowed to enter the territory of Slovakia. The document stating this was sent to the Hungarian embassy in Bratislava.Fico also told the press that Slovak authorities would not prevent the president from crossing the border by physical force, but they will consider it as a serious provocation if he still enters Slovakia. Miroslav Lajčák
Miroslav Lajcák
Dr. Miroslav Lajčák is a Slovak diplomat.Lajčák is a law graduate from the Comenius University in Bratislava. He holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the State Institute of International Relations in Moscow and is also a graduate of the George C...
, Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs said the relations of Hungary and Slovakia have already been harmed by this issue.
On the border Ján Packa
Ján Packa
Ján Packa is a former Czechoslovak/Slovak handball player who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics.In 1976 he was part of the Czechoslovak team which finished seventh in the Olympic tournament. He played all five matches as goalkeeper.-References:...
, executive of the police of Slovakia and a great number of policemen were waiting..
President Sólyom did not enter Slovakia, after the embassy received a document stating that Sólyom is refused entry into Slovakia:
He walked to the middle of the bridge over the Danube leading from Hungarian Komárom to Slovak Komárno and held a press conference about the events on the Hungarian side of the border. He stated:
The ceremony in absence of Sólyom
The news stating that Sólyom is not allowed to enter Slovakia, was received with loud whistling among the gathered 2000-3000 people on the square where the statue was about to be unveiled.The speeches before the unveiling were about the needed cooperation, and encouraged peace between the two countries, which was received with applause by the mainly Hungarian celebrators.
A few Slovak protesters attended the ceremony, with signs saying among others "Sólyom, go home".
Antal Heizer, ambassador of Hungary in Bratislava read the planned ceremonial speech of László Sólyom to the crowd.
Hungarian politicians of Slovakia took part in the ceremony, among others the mayor of the town, Tibor Bastrnák.
Reactions of the Hungarian diplomacy
The government of Hungary called the ban "unexpected", "unfounded" and it's justification "deplorable" and "unacceptable".Péter Balázs Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs - cutting his vacation short - called in the Slovak ambassador Peter Weiss and protested the unprecedented act coming from an EU and NATO member state. Péter Balázs asked for explanation.
The chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of Hungary, Zsolt Németh declared:
He also claimed that it is the duty of the international community to find a way of driving Slovakia back to the road of respecting human rights and minority rights.
The political parties of Hungary have also protested against the Slovak decision. The governing Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) said, it is definitely Slovakia who is responsible for the worsened relations, who as a young nation state seek their identity, which sometimes turns into fierce nationalism.
Legal disputes
According to Péter Balázs, the ban was not lawful, because the already given international permissions haven't been withdrawn and so the embassy just got an "unfriendly" document, which would in theory have allowed Sólyom to enter Slovakia. He also said the Slovak diplomacy has turned international law "upside down" by leaving the international permissions while banning Sólyom personally, as a civilian. He stated that Hungary plans to inform the EU and a broader international public about this "rude" political action.Slovakia
In the Slovak press, the opinions were divided about the move of the Slovak government. Those sympathizing with the government have generally agreed with the move. Dag Daniš of PravdaPravda (Slovakia)
Pravda is a major newspaper in Slovakia. It is owned by Northcliffe International, part of British media group, the Daily Mail and General Trust.- Communist Pravda :...
wrote:
More liberal and less pro-government papers have also condemned the Slovak reaction, not only Sólyom. As Peter Morvay of SME wrote:
Most of these media empires are regularly accused of being the sole advocates of the opposition (fueled mostly by the prime minister's attacks on the media). Yet numerous members of the opposition have agreed with the ban. Mikuláš Dzurinda
Mikuláš Dzurinda
Mikuláš Dzurinda is a Slovak politician who was Prime Minister of Slovakia from 30 October 1998 to 4 July 2006. He was a founder and leader of the Slovak Democratic Coalition and the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union...
, president of the leading opposition party SDKÚ has been quoted to say that Sólyom is instigating conflicts. Pavol Abrhán, member of the opposite KDH has suggested that a diplomatic note should be sent to Hungary.
Czech Republic
The Czech media was amongst the first comment on the topic blaming both sides for the situation that arose. Mladá Fronta Dnes columnist Magdalena Sodomková wrote:Another daily, Lidové noviny wrote an article in a similar tone:
See also
- Hungary–Slovakia relationsHungary–Slovakia relationsHungary–Slovakia relations are the foreign relations between the Republic of Hungary and the Slovak Republic, two neighbouring countries in Central Europe. The countries established diplomatic relations in 1993, the year when Slovakia became independent of Czechoslovakia. Hungary has an embassy in...
- An unofficial Hungarian translation of the diplomatic note sent to László Sólyom (by the Office of the President of Hungary)