Slovakia/Hungary – In an interview with actuality.sk, Slovakia’s Foreign Minister, Rastislav Káčer renewed his attacks on his country’s southern neighbour and its Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.
When asked whether Hungary is still a democracy, Káčer replied: “In light of my criteria,
Hungary is not a Western-style democracy.
I see it that way, and I am very sorry, but it is the only country in the European Union that is not a fully-fledged Western-style democracy.
And it is not just my opinion, it is the majority opinion in the European Parliament and the European Commission, and my colleagues with whom I have discussions feel the same way. It doesn’t matter whether we say it in a stronger or more diplomatic way. ”
Káčer then went on to endorse the position of his predecessor, Ivan Korčok, seeing it as rather “harmful” for Slovakia to be assimilated to the V4 as a whole, and especially to Hungary: “Today, Slovakia, Czechia, and Poland have a very similar stance. The V4 is now more like a V3 plus 1, especially on the big political issues. ”
Such statements by the foreign minister of a neighbouring country and close partner did not go unnoticed in Budapest, where the State Secretary for Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tamás Menczer, responded on Facebook:
“We urge Slovakia’s Foreign Minister, Rastislav Káčer, to speak respectfully about Hungarians!
It is well known that Foreign Minister Káčer only feels comfortable when he regularly talks about the Hungarian Prime Minister without any room for nuance. However, we must remind the Slovak foreign minister that Viktor Orbán has been elected by the Hungarian people with record support, for the fourth time in a row. Even the Slovak foreign minister must respect the Hungarian people’s decision. Viktor Orbán is pro-peace and anti-sanctions, and the Hungarians have entrusted him with the management of the current crisis, which follows those of migration and the coronavirus.
Such stability is not particularly characteristic of Slovakia.
Foreign Minister Káčer might do better to focus on his own country, which is in constant governmental crisis.”
