On Tuesday, October 2, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to open in the Hungarian village of Mlynky / Pilisszentkereszt the Centre for Pilis Slovaks. Prime ministers of both countries will deliver speeches at the opening ceremony, cut the ribbon on the new building for the local Slovak minority, and sign a joint memorandum on behalf of the two countries, the SITA newswire wrote.
The operation of the new centre will focus on promoting national awareness and cultural identity of ethnic Slovaks living in Hungary. The village of Mlynky is the cultural centre of the Slovak minority in the area of Pilis.
Following several years of disputes, representatives of Hungary and Slovakia signed the final agreement on financing the centre in July. Based on the agreement, Slovakia financed the project with €491,939, while the Hungarian government agreed to allocate €442,338. The owner of the centre and its operator will be the Nationwide Slovak self-government in Hungary, and the facility will also be used by local organisations of Pilis Slovaks.
The village of Mlynky became internationally known in 2008 when its Mayor József Lendvai presented a controversial proposal demanding that all Slovak minority associations and organisations move out of the building of the Slovak House in the village. Members of the village council in Mlynky approved the proposal. Hungarian ombudsman for minorities Erno Kallai declared the decision unlawful, but the village council in Mlynky decided to carry out the eviction. In the same year, Hungary and Slovakia have agreed to build a new house to which they would contribute equally. The building was completed last year in August, SITA wrote.
(Source: SITA)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
