robert fico

February 25, 2010, 11:50 CET

Countries step up cooperation, sign joint declaration at Budapest energy summit

Participants of an energy summit held in Budapest on Wednesday signed a joint declaration on stepping up cooperation and making energy security a priority. Hungary's Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said the signing of a joint declaration was a milestone in... [read complete entry]

February 23, 2010, 12:07 CET

Slovak PM expresses concerns over losing "special relationship" with Hungary

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed his opinion that a Fidesz electoral victory in April would lead to strained relations between Hungary and Slovakia, mno.hu reports, unlike the status quo which is just peachy. Fico stated that if Fidesz... [read complete entry]

January 26, 2010, 03:16 CET

Vona reveals Jobbik's "enemies list": IMF, United States, Israel, Slovakia and terrestrial commercial television stations

In a speech held in Esztergom over the weekend, Jobbik chairman Gábor Vona (also the party's prime ministerial candidate) revealed what can be considered to be the party's "enemies list", origo.hu reports. If the party were to come into power,... [read complete entry]

December 17, 2009, 10:10 CET

Slovakia breaking deal with Hungary over language law, gov't spokesman says

Slovakia's adopting the guidelines to its controversial state language act on Wednesday is seen as a violation of a recent agreement between the two countries, the spokesman of the Hungarian government told MTI on Wednesday. Domokos Szollar said that the... [read complete entry]

October 14, 2009, 09:50 CET

Hungary launches proceedings against Slovakia

Hungary is launching proceedings against Slovakia at the European Commission over that country's refusal to allow President László Sólyom into the country on August 21, government spokesman Domokos Szollár told reporters on Tuesday. He said Hungary aims to resolve the... [read complete entry]

October 13, 2009, 03:35 CET

Slovak politicians respond to Pataki's statement on language law

Following former New York Governor George Pataki's denunciation of Slovakia's language law, via the Wall Street Journal, we've learned that: [Slovakian] Prime Minister [Robert] Fico considers it unprofessional and politically incorrect that an American politician, George Pataki of Hungarian-Italian-Irish origin,... [read complete entry]

September 14, 2009, 11:22 CET

Bajnai slams Fidesz for undercutting government in Slovakia talks

The opposition has broken the national consensus concerning Slovakia's state language law with its statements made after the recent prime ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told public television on Sunday evening. "We are struggling in the foreign policy arena... [read complete entry]

September 11, 2009, 11:47 CET

Hungarian, Slovak leaders meet in bid to re-establish normal relations

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico did not apologise for his country's refusal to admit President László Sólyom on August 21 and offered no concessions on the controversial new language law during his meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Thursday.... [read complete entry]

September 10, 2009, 10:36 CET

Hungarian, Slovak premiers to hold long-awaited meeting today

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcák said yesterday that he expects “sense, responsibility and a constructive spirit” to keep the upper hand at today’s meeting of the Hungarian and Slovak prime ministers.... [read complete entry]

September 08, 2009, 10:05 CET

Bajnai open letter receives lukewarm response from Slovak PM

Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai writes that he extends his “hand to the nation of Slovakia for a friendly handshake in the spirit of our joint future and the intention to implement our mutual interests in partnership”, in an article published... [read complete entry]

September 03, 2009, 09:48 CET

Slovak Foreign Minister hints at fraught meeting

The meeting between Slovak prime minister Robert Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Gordon Bajnai "will not be simple, because both parties want to say many things to the other,” Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcák said in a statement after a... [read complete entry]

September 02, 2009, 09:58 CET

Thousands protest in Dunaszerda

Participants from Slovakia, Hungary and Romania took part in a three-hour rally at Dunajska Streda, Slovakia on Tuesday to protest the amended Slovak state language act. Organisers put demonstrator numbers at 12,000, and police at 6,500. “It is a shame... [read complete entry]

August 31, 2009, 09:57 CET

Bajnai and Fico to hold clear-the-air talks

Foreign Minister Péter Balász agreed with his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajcák on Sunday to set up a meeting between Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and Slovak premier Robert Fico, and formulated proposals to resolve the current problems between the two countries.... [read complete entry]

August 24, 2009, 08:30 CET

Uproar as Sólyom denied entry to Slovakia

A crowd of some 2-3,000 people that gathered for the unveiling ceremony of a statue of Hungarian King Stephen I in Komarno, Slovakia, booed and whistled when they learnt that Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom would not attend the ceremony because... [read complete entry]

June 05, 2009, 12:24 CET

Hungarian, Slovak PMs to meet next month amid deepening rancor

A meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will take place on July 7 or 9, Slovak press reports said on Thursday. A meeting of the two PMs planned to take place in Hungary... [read complete entry]

June 03, 2009, 08:29 CET

Orbán says country's MEPs to represent Hungarians from throughout region

Hungarian deputies in the European Parliament will have to represent all Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin, the head of the conservative opposition Fidesz party, Viktor Orban said at an election rally on Tuesday. Whoever fails to understand this, or... [read complete entry]

May 29, 2009, 11:33 CET

Bajnai says Hungary to maintain support for ethnic kin despite crisis

Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, speaking at a meeting with representatives of ethnic Hungarian organisations on Thursday, pledged to continue to support ethnic Hungarians beyond the borders despite the economic downturn. The government has duties and moral obligations to Hungarians living... [read complete entry]

May 27, 2009, 09:38 CET

Fidesz calls Slovak PM's remark "hostile misunderstanding"

Hungary's conservative opposition Fidesz party's intention to create a Hungarian unity spanning over borders can only be misinterpreted in a spiteful way, a senior party official said on Tuesday. Zsolt Nemeth spoke in the wake of Slovak Prime Minister Robert... [read complete entry]

March 26, 2009, 07:44 CET

Slovak PM turns security services on Hungarian radicals

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico yesterday convened a special meeting of the country’s domestic security services to express his concern over secret service reports that the Hungarian far-right group the 64 Youths Movement is recruiting members in Slovakia.... [read complete entry]

January 16, 2009, 09:23 CET

Weiss likely to succeed Migas as Slovak ambassador to Hungary

The Slovak cabinet yesterday recommended that President Ivan Gasparovic appoint Peter Weiss as the next ambassador to Hungary, replacing Juraj Migas, Népszabadság reports, quoting a confidential source.... [read complete entry]

December 05, 2008, 09:52 CET

Opposition urging internationalization of Hungary-Slovak dispute

Disputed issues between Hungary and Slovakia should be highlighted at international forums, Zsolt Nemeth, MP of the main opposition Fidesz party and head of parliament's foreign committee, told MTI on Thursday.... [read complete entry]

December 04, 2008, 02:59 CET

Former Czech Prime Minister favors equal opportunity police brutality

Former Czech Prime Minister Miloš Zeman recently told Bratislava daily Sme that the Slovak government should beat up Slovak football fans to "balance" the incident against Hungarian fans, writes Index.hu. "The troublemakers very much resemble skinheads and if there's something... [read complete entry]

December 04, 2008, 07:43 CET

Szili meets Slovak counterpart as Fico rejects Gyurcsány's proposals

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's rejection of Ferenc Gyurcsany's proposals regarding ethnic minority issues is "very regrettable", Hungary's parliamentary speaker said on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]

November 21, 2008, 10:47 CET

Fico favors building bridge to Hungary, but only literally

While it's becoming rather clear that Hungary's attempts to build a metaphoric bridge of understanding to Slovakia have failed miserably, Slovakia is keen to build a bridge to Hungary, though only of the steel and cement variety. According to Népszabadság,... [read complete entry]

November 21, 2008, 09:45 CET

Did Slovaks really vandalize District XII Turul statue?

In news that will really piss off the Hungarian right, and not just the far-right, the "controversial" (i.e. beloved by nationalists) turul statue in District XII was recently vandalized, hirtv.hu reports, complete with video. Incredibly, the phrases "Long live [Slovak... [read complete entry]

November 20, 2008, 08:30 CET

Slovak official says gov't will not meet Gyurcsány's requests

The Slovak government is not planning to meet requests put forward by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany at a recent Hungarian-Slovak summit, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Dusan Caplovic told the Slovak press on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]

November 18, 2008, 08:18 CET

Gyurcsány says gov't to turn Slovak-Hungarian proposal into legislation

Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said on Monday that he would instruct his ministers to draft bills implementing the six-point proposal he had presented to his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico in Komarno, Slovakia, on Saturday.... [read complete entry]

November 17, 2008, 08:13 CET

Hungarian, Slovak leaders issue joint statement after tension-filled meeting

Hungary and Slovakia, smarting from mutual accusations of failing to rein in radical nationalism, issued a joint statement on advancing reconciliation between the two countries at a summit between prime ministers Ferenc Gyurcsany and Robert Fico. Promising to combat nationalism,... [read complete entry]

November 13, 2008, 02:43 CET

Ethnic Hungarian politician says Slovak relations "worst in 20 years"

Relations between Hungary and Slovakia have reached a 20-year nadir, Bela Bugar, former head of Slovakia's ethnic Hungarian Coalition Party (MKP) said on Thursday.... [read complete entry]

November 11, 2008, 12:05 CET

Gyurcsány and Fico to meet on Saturday

Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico have agreed to meet in the border town of Komárom/Komarno, government spokesperson Dávid Daróczy announced on Tuesday morning.... [read complete entry]

November 06, 2008, 09:07 CET

Gyurcsány steps up criticism of Slovak police, politicians

The "disproportionate and brutal" action of Slovak police against Hungarian soccer fans during a recent football match in southern Slovakia was unacceptable, Hungary's Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany told his Slovak counterpart at an informal bilateral meeting in Warsaw on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]

October 21, 2008, 10:18 CET

Slovák PM launches fresh attack on Hungary

Slovák Prime Minister Robert Fico, not a popular man in Hungary as it is, further stoked the flames of international conflict by publicly looking down his nose at his neighbors to the south this week, which may explain his smug... [read complete entry]

October 07, 2008, 09:33 CET

Slovak PM denounces insults but reissues "ultimatum" charge

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico backed away on Monday from a string of insults his coalition partner Jan Slota of the Slovak National Party SNS hurled at Hungary's foreign minister, but continued to say that she had issued an ultimatum... [read complete entry]

October 06, 2008, 11:30 CET

Slovaks tell Hungarian foreign minister to mind her own business

Slovak deputy Prime Minister Dušan Čaplovič has called on Hungarian Foreign Minister and "woman with disheveled hair" Kinga Göncz to refrain from "meddling in Slovakia's internal affairs." The conflict that is likely to run and run now that the Hungarian... [read complete entry]

October 03, 2008, 09:40 CET

Slovakia rejects Hungarian claims of backtracking on earlier promises

Slovakia's ambassador to Hungary was summoned to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry on Thursday, and was asked to provide answers to issues concerning the Hungarian minority in his country, the ministry's deputy spokesman Lajos Kohari told MTI.... [read complete entry]

September 17, 2008, 10:37 CET

Fico says Slovakia/Hungary relations better than media claims

Interstate and political relations between Slovakia and Hungary could be better, but they are not as bad as the media claims, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told the Hungarian nationwide daily Nepszabadsag in an interview published on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]

September 02, 2008, 12:16 CET

Gyurcsány and Fico to hold regular informal talks

The issue of ethnic minorities can be better served this way the Hungarian prime minister said. [read complete entry]

August 25, 2008, 08:42 CET

Informal get-together to precede Hungary-Slovak summit

Gyurcsány, Fico to meet before official gathering. [read complete entry]

August 21, 2008, 09:04 CET

Gyurcsány, Fico to meet in September

Earlier summit between Hungarian and Slovak leaders ran aground on rising tensions between countries. [read complete entry]

June 30, 2008, 10:05 CET

Slovak prime minister blasts Orbán and Fidesz

Robert Fico was strongly critical of the Hungarian opposition leader, calling him a force of instability. [read complete entry]

May 13, 2008, 12:07 CET

Slovak prime minister uses Orbán as bogeyman in speech

Speaking at a nationalist rally on the 160th anniversary of a Slovak petition to the Hungarians, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (right) spoke of national pride and expressed his disappointment that Slovak youths wear clothes with American and not Slovakian... [read complete entry]

December 20, 2007, 08:44 CET

Orbán to skip meeting marking opening of EU borders

Opposition leader and former prime minister Viktor Orbán will not attend a Friday meeting of politicians to be held in Hegyeshalom at the Hungarian-Austrian border, on the occasion of Hungary joining the Schengen zone the previous day, reports left-wing daily... [read complete entry]