Petőcz Kálmán (szerk.): National Populism and Slovak - Hungarian Relations in Slovakia 2006-2009 (Somorja, 2009)
László Öllös: Time for Hungarian-Slovak Dialogue (Conclusion)
LASZLO OLLOS: Tíme For HuNqARÍAN-SlovAk DiAloquE (ConcIusíon) Looking at the results of the most recent elections to the European Parliament, an impartial observer might well conclude that mutual Hungarian- Slovak reconciliation has not been as out of reach since 1989 as it is today.1 For three years before these elections, Hungary’s political and public life had been confronted with phenomena such as harsh anti-Hungarian lashes by the Slovak National Party (SNS) Chairman Ján Slota, overall policies of the Slovak Government predetermined by his party’s priorities, validation of the Beneš decrees by a resolution passed in the National Council of the Slovak Republic, the case of Hedviga Malinová, thrashing of football fans in Dunajská Streda by the police, campaign before the most recent presidential elections and generally intensified anti-Hungarian sentiments in Slovakia. Hungary’s political leaders as well as the public opinion followed these developments with astonishment, mostly because the party representing ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, namely the Party of Hungarian Coalition (SMKMKP), had been an important part of the ruling coalition for eight years and played a key role in toppling the authoritarian administration of Vladimir Mečiar, restoring the country’s democratization process, facilitating its accession to the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and the European Union (EU) and implementing successful structural and economic reforms. Except minor mistakes, Hungary’s political leaders reacted to intensified attacks by relatively astute manoeuvring. After a long time, the opposition and the government stopped publicly attacking each other in order to make foreign policy problems become domestic political issues. One might even say that if was not for the minor mistakes and a handful of far-right formations, Hungary might have celebrated a resounding diplomatic success in the squabble provoked by the Slovak side. But it didn’t. The far-right 247
