The current government, after it came to power in 2006, tried to persuade its partners that its programme was oriented towards good cooperation with its neighbours, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ján Kubiš said in an interview with the TASR newswire.
"It can't be said that Slovak-Hungarian relations were excellent during the previous government, as the last time the countries‘ leaders had met was in 2001. What kind of relations is it when the leaders don't meet? This is proof that Slovak-Hungarian relations have always been peculiar," Kubiš said.
The foreign minister confirmed that minority issues fall under the sphere of bilateral dialogue at the governmental level, and added that these issues are given adequate attention.
In this context he mentioned currently problematic affairs such as financing the ethnic-Hungarian radio band of Slovak Radio, Radio Patria, and what Hungarian minority politicians call a discrepancy in geographical names (referring to certain locations keeping their Slovak names) that appear in school textbooks.
"We'll be always trying to see such matters resolved," said Kubiš.
Slovak Premier Robert Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsány met following the most-recent Visegrad Four summit this year in Bratislava. Kubiš pointed out that Gyurcsány's official visit to Slovakia is currently being prepared.
Compiled by Jana Liptaková from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
