THE CURRENT economic development and relations between Hungary and Slovakia could serve as an example for other states, Hungarian President János Áder said after meeting his Slovak counterpart Andrej Kiska during his one-day official visit to Bratislava on December 10. The president added that cooperation in trade has not even been adversely impacted by the economic crisis, the TASR newswire reported.
Kiska noted that since he became president he met with Áder five times, but that this is the first official bilateral meeting.
“We are looking for cooperation in practical projects that will help further boost the currently good relationship,” Kiska said, as quoted by TASR, while stressing that it is important to send such a signal to the citizens of both countries.
He went on to highlight the increasing quality of economic relations, as Hungary is one of the five most important trade partners for Slovakia. According to Kiska, special attention needs to be paid to areas of cooperation that will help increase the competitiveness of both countries worldwide.
Although the issue of the life of ethnic minorities and the use of minority languages was not broached, both presidents commented on this issue. Kiska said he is convinced that ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia have all the conditions to bring up their children in their own language and maintain their traditions. He also reiterated his request that ethnic issues not be brought up vis-a-vis political events, and that relations between the citizens of the Slovak and Hungarian nationalities are excellent, TASR reported.
Áder noted that every country around the world must ensure the respect for the rights of ethnic minorities to use their mother tongue, and the preservation of national identity and customs. He added that Hungary tries to ensure that all minorities living in the country may proudly report their national identity – even dual identity if they wish.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
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