ZAGREB, June 9, 2019 – Showing Croatian territory in a false historical context or promoting past failed aspirations is unacceptable to Croatia, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry told the Večernji List daily when asked about an illustration showing a “historical” map of Hungary being torn up by hands grabbing at its territory, including parts of Croatia, which was published by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s international communications office, reports the Sunday issue of Večernji List.
A few days ago, Hungary marked its Day of National Unity, a memorial Day introduced in 2010 to commemorate the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, signed between the World War I Allies and Hungary at the Grand Trianon Palace in Versailles, France. Under the treaty, Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory that were distributed among the First Austrian Republic, the Czechoslovak Republic, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the Kingdom of Romania.
The Treaty of Trianon destroyed the Hungarian society, economy and political system, National Policy State Secretary Arpad Janos Potapi said.
To illustrate Potapi’s statement, the government’s international communications office published on its website, called About Hungary, and on related social network profiles, a “historical” map of Hungary – an illustration showing five hands tearing up Hungary and grabbing at its territory and population.
The About Hungary website features positive English and German-language articles about the Hungarian government’s work and criticism of EU institutions.
“Immediately after the drawing – a 1921 cartoon – was posted on the About Hungary Twitter profile, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry got in touch with the Hungarian side to let it know that the illustration, which shows parts of Croatian territory for which it is implied that they are Hungarian territory taken from Hungary under the Treaty of Trianon, is unacceptable and is a complete distortion of historical facts. We were given official assurances by the Hungarian side that the illustration is in no way an act of laying claim to Croatian territory, the controversial drawing was published to commemorate the historic event of signing the Treaty of Trianon, which ended World War I in this part of Europe, officials at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs have said,” Večernji List reports.
The illustration has met with strongly-worded comments in Slovenia, too, but as in earlier cases, the response was not unanimous. The government has condemned the drawing while the Opposition, notably the SNS party of Janez Janša, who is close to Orban, has made no comment, says Večernji List.
More news about relations between the two countries can be found in the Politics section.
