Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic criticised the opposition Hungarian Coalition Party

Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic criticised the opposition Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) whose representatives questioned the approach of Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government to ethnic minorities in the European Parliament earlier this week.

The SMK said that this year, the cabinet had allotted less money for ethnic culture than a year ago.

Gasparovic said he saw no reason why ethnic minorities should be dissatisfied in Slovakia.

“I am somewhat disappointed at SMK representatives meeting MEPs and telling them what bad decisions are being made on some issues in Slovakia,” Gasparovic said.

“I see it negatively,” Gasparovic told the commercial television station Joj.

Gasparovic said that creating the atmosphere abroad that would question Slovakia was unacceptable for him.

After the government of Smer (Direction)-Social Democracy (Smer-SD), the ultra nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS) and the People’s Party-Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (LS-HZDS) was formed last year, Prime Minister Robert Fico promised to keep status quo in the sphere of ethnic rights.

SMK leader Bela Bugar accused Fico earlier that the government had not observed the commitment as it had lowered the package of money for ethnic culture.

“I do not think that our minorities in Slovakia have any reason to be dissatisfied,” Gasparovic said, adding that he was against collective rights for ethnic minorities.

In Strasbourg, Bugar met earlier this week deputies for the European People’s Party to whom he said that ethnic Hungarians had received 16 percent less money than a year ago.

Bugar said that the total sponsoring of ethnic culture, which includes the Romany and Ruthenian minorities, had fallen to 80 million crowns from 160 million last year.