Prime Minister Viktor Orbán attended a gala commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the independent Slovak Republic in Bratislava last Saturday. The official Day of Establishment is 1 January, but President Katalin Novák alas could not make it to the festive events then despite her invitation. Some in the opposition media in Hungary interpreted that as a sign of worsening diplomatic relations with our neighbour to the North.

However, that is clearly contradicted by the fact that PM Viktor Orbán and First Lady Anikó Lévai were welcomed at the gala evening celebrating the same historic event at the new building of the Slovak National Theatre on Saturday, 7 January in Bratislava, Slovakia. The President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana Čaputová, and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala gave speeches at the gala.

PM Orbán also shared a post about the event on his Facebook page, writing:

‘After the fall of Communism, Czechoslovakia broke up in 1993, and the independent Slovakia and Czech Republic took its place, who are now our allies. 30 years ago, the pathway was opened for the V4 cooperation based on co-dependence and mutual respect. Let’s protect it!’