Budapest Summons Slovak Ambassador over Kacer's Comments

Budapest, February 9 (TASR-correspondent) - The Hungarian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday summoned the Slovak ambassador to the country over Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Rastislav Kacer's recent remarks on Budapest's potential territorial claims on Slovakia, the Slovak correspondent in Hungary learnt from news outlet 24.hu in the evening of the same day. "If Vladimir Putin was more successful and Russia was at Slovakia's doorstep in the east, I think that we would be facing such claims directly today, unfortunately," said Kacer in a televised debate on Tuesday when asked whether Hungary could make territorial claims on Slovakia in the next few years. Hungarian state secretary Tamas Menczer, who is responsible for bilateral relations at the Foreign Ministry, stated on Facebook on Wednesday that Europe is facing great challenges, and hence sensible politicians are needed, adding that the incumbent Slovak foreign affairs minister isn't one of them. "Minister Kacer is basically attacking Hungary because we support peace and oppose sanctions. We aren't going to change that, even if minister Kacer doesn't like it. Today I summoned the Slovak ambassador in Budapest to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and told him that Rastislav Kacer's statements are unacceptable and nonsensical lies," wrote Menczer, adding that the Hungarian-Slovak partnership and the Visegrad Four alliance will outlive figures such as Kacer. zel/df