Slovakia and Hungary Would Like to Boost Collaboration in Culture

Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - Slovakia and Hungary would like to strengthen cooperation in the field of culture, Slovak Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) and Hungarian Ambassador to Slovakia Csaba Balogh concurred at a meeting on Thursday, the ministry's communication department head Petra Bacinska told TASR on Thursday, adding that they both expressed their willingness to return to joint annual planning of cooperation in the field of culture. The Hungarian ambassador highlighted the long-lasting and excellent cooperation with the Kosice State Philharmonic and the National Theatre in Kosice. He said that the Hungarian Embassy is in close contact with all major cultural institutions in Slovakia, also pointing to the well-functioning cooperation between galleries, especially those aimed at modern-art. "However, we perceive that there is a lack of dialogue between the culture ministries at the highest and expert level in the field of culture," noted Balogh, while Simkovicova sees it similarly. However, they want to develop cooperation. They agreed to support the activities of existing and the creation of new mixed expert groups, which will operate in different cultural areas. They also agreed that a major problem in both countries at the moment is the lack of national identity among young people. am/mcs