Slovenia points to existing borders in face of Hungary NATO gifts
Ljubljana, 28 December - Slovenia has underlined the importance of internationally recognised borders after Hungary's permanent representation to NATO handed out books featuring a map of Greater Hungary, its territory spanning well beyond the country's current borders.
The Foreign Ministry told the STA on Saturday that the Hungarian representatives at NATO had handed out as end-of-the-year gifts a 2021 book published as part of the National Atlas of Hungary.
The volume features the history and maps of the wider Carpathian Basin, an area stretching beyond Hungary's borders, the Slovenian ministry said.
The statement added that the ministry was aware that the history of this area was complex and went beyond the fate of one nation or country.
"Therefore, we regularly underline the need for prudence in naming or drawing borders of a territory in historical context and prioritise legally recognised borders of sovereign countries in this and other areas in Europe and elsewhere."
The ministry also said that Slovenia will strive to build strong relations, based on mutuality, with Hungary and other countries in the region.
Meanwhile, Croatia's Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman labelled the Hungary's handing out the books unacceptable. He said on X he had discussed the matter with his counterparts from Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
High representatives of Hungary have been using Greater Hungary symbols, above all its map, for years. The borders of Greater Hungary cut into the territories of modern-day Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.