Blanar Calls on PS Not to Interfere in Internal Affairs of Serbia

Bratislava/Backi Petrovac, 14 August (TASR) - The Progressive Slovakia (PS) party is interfering in the internal affairs of Serbia with its activities concerning an incident that took place at a Slovak minority festival in Backi Petrovac last week, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) posted on a social network on Thursday. Blanar reacted in this way to PS leader Michal Simecka who met members of the Slovak minority in Serbia at Backi Petrovac on Wednesday (13 August) following Saturday's attack by supporters of the Serbian government on a photo exhibition about anti-government protests, which was unofficially held alongside the Slovak National Festivities there. Simecka said on the spot that the ethnic Slovak minority in the Serbian Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is afraid of further violence and Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) should immediately address the situation via diplomatic channels. However, Blanar opines that PS is dragging the Slovak minority living in Serbia into opposition-coalition disputes in Serbia. "As I was informed by the Slovak ambassador to Serbia, that Mr. Simecka didn't spend a long time in Serbia and somehow 'didn't even have time' to meet official representatives of the Slovak minority from Backi Petrovac," claims Blanar. At the same time, he criticised the organisers of the unofficial photo exhibition dedicated to anti-government protests in Serbia, who, in his opinion, trampled on the essence of the apolitical celebrations of Slovaks living in Serbia. ko/mcs