BRATISLAVA, April 5, (WEBNOVINY) — According to the opposition SMER-SD Vice Chairman Marek Madaric, Slovak foreign policy toward Hungary is wrong. “It should be more courageous. It should not react in such a way that we wait until Hungary has its own law. It could be too late then; current Hungarian policy shows signs of territorial revisionism. It could also be a precedent for all of Europe, as Hungary is not the only state with minorities in neighboring countries. We should be the first to call attention to such dangers and should approach them actively,” Madaric told the SITA news agency on Tuesday.
Madaric considers the announced decision of the coalition not to support the program of an unscheduled session, called by SMER-SD, a mistake, claiming that Slovaks are unwilling to search for the consensus needed to face the consensus of the Hungarians. “On one hand, unacceptable offenses, such as the Hungarian consul released, are not there any more. Yet, there is the material aspect of shifting from announcing a [draft] bill, which would grant suffrage to ethnic Hungarians living in Slovakia, to confirming this position,” says the SMER-SD vice chairman.
SMER would like the Cabinet to discuss the Hungarian citizenship and suffrage law with its southern counterpart. They are also appealing to the Cabinet to amend the current Slovak law on state citizenship, so that people who acquire foreign citizenship in “a standard manner” would not lose the Slovak. SMER-SD introduced the concept of losing Slovak citizenship a year ago, while it was in government. According to Madaric, it is important to have a solid, united coalition leading the state, which can unite when dealing with issues connected to Hungary. “Maybe the Slovaks are blackmailed or slowed by MOST-HID. That is bad for Slovakia,” closed Madaric.
SITA