Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Kinga Göncz said in Brussels on October 15 that she expects her Slovak counterpart Ján Kubiš to respond to her questions regarding textbooks for Hungarian schools in Slovakia and allocation of eurofunds for those schools, the TASR newswire wrote.
She said the edition of Hungarian textbooks that includes only Slovak geographical names contravenes the Slovak government’s promise to preserve the status quo regarding the Hungarian minority. She is also interested in how the decisions on the distribution of money from eurofunds are adopted, as "as far as we know, not a single Hungarian school received any money following the latest series of decisions".
"I think it's in the interest of both countries to discuss any questions openly, and it's normal in democracy. We frequently have problems, but we have to look for ways to rectify them,” she said.
Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ján Kubiš described his talks with Göncz as a frank, open and comprehensive dialogue "about everything".
"I stated that as for the textbooks, there is a request of Hungarian State Secretary Ferenc Gemesi, and we are preparing a response to his letter. As for the issue of eurofunds and their distribution for the purposes of school facilities in Slovakia, I suggested that a better solution than such a discussion is convening a sub-commission for the school system that would operate within a blanket agreement between Hungary and Slovakia," said Kubiš, adding that the objective would be have these issues assessed in detail by experts. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
