The map of Great Hungary always throws Romanian politicians off their guard.
The Romanian Foreign Ministry is protesting a historical atlas containing maps of Great Hungary, which was given as a gift by Hungary's permanent ambassador to NATO to representatives of several member states of the military organization. The indignation over the otherwise specifically professional publication, free of revisionist overtones, and the fear of Great Hungary originate from the Croatian foreign minister.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is protesting a Hungarian historical atlas containing maps of Greater Hungary, which Ambassador István Balogh, Hungary's permanent representative to NATO, gave as a gift to representatives of several NATO member states in Brussels. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest writes that the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its displeasure at what happened on December 18 through Romania's NATO ambassador.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers the dissemination of the Hungarian historical atlas in diplomatic circles to be a "provocative manifestation", which, according to the ministry, does not serve the strategic partnership between Romania and Hungary.
"The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hereby reiterates its position communicated to the Hungarian authorities several times, according to which provocative statements and gestures do not contribute to the strengthening of the partnership between Romania and Hungary. The joint history of the two countries should remain the subject of historians' research," the Bucharest ministry said in a statement.
The position of the Romanian Foreign Ministry does not reveal what is the problem with the inclusion of maps of the former Great Hungary in a historical atlas.
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman first raised objections to what happened.
In recent days, the head of Croatian diplomacy expressed his indignation and displeasure on his social media page because Hungarian NATO Ambassador István Balogh gave an atlas containing maps of the entire Carpathian basin to his colleagues in Brussels, including the Croatian NATO ambassador.
"I think it is completely wrong that the permanent representative of Hungary gives the National Atlas of Hungary to his fellow NATO permanent representatives in Brussels as a Christmas present. We will analyze its contents in more detail, but it is extremely unusual for the NATO ambassadors of other countries to receive a controversial atlas, in which it is true that Great Hungary is not specifically mentioned, but the maps and accompanying texts are debatable," the Croatian foreign minister wrote in his post. The head of the ministry added that he will also discuss the "unacceptable act" with his colleagues in Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
According to the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is an English-language atlas published in 2021 and published in the National Atlas of Hungary series. Based on the description, it is the English version of the National Atlas of Hungary, that gigantic and very representative work, which is roughly the most thorough impression of Hungarian geography and cartography.
"Extremely professional work, although also interesting to the general public, does not contain a trace of irredent nostalgia - especially if one does not specifically want to see that a scientific atlas presents the historical antecedents and the spatial context", notes the Croatians and Romanians The 444.hu portal was sharply criticized in connection with a Christmas present.
Four years ago, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also caused indignation in Romanian political circles when, accompanied by a photo of a globe showing Great Hungary, he wished good luck to the high school graduates in his home country.
Cover photo: The Romanian Foreign Ministry is hooked on the gift
Source: hun-ren.hu
