Making Slovakia return to sober, normal solutions is the aim of the Hungarian Government with respect to Slovakia’s State Language Act, Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Balázs declared in Budapest on July 28, as part of a speech marking his first 100 days in office.
He pointed out that the amendment to the State Language Act will come into force on September 1, "and then it will be clear how it will function, whether it begins to be applied strictly and whether the regulations are applied with bad will."
According to Balázs, it would be most convenient for Hungary if its northern neighbour, which is an ally in the European Union and NATO, begins to act appropriately. "This can be attained only through criticism and moral pressure. In this matter it's possible to turn to the Council of Europe, and to the European Parliament," he told the TASR newswire.
Balázs maintains that when it comes to neighbourly relations, Slovakia's State Language Act is one of Hungary’s greatest challenges. "There are nationalist powers in the Slovak Government that try to define themselves and Slovakia by fixing a picture of the enemy to the wall in an effort to unite citizens against this enemy," stated Balazs, adding that the means for doing that is the amendment to the State Language Act.
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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