The approaches to ethnic minorities and communities taken by individual states in which Slovaks live are the topic of discussion at a two-day conference organised by the Office for Slovaks Living Abroad (USZZ). Other topics include countries' attitudes to supporting the identity of ethnic minorities and to the languages and cultural integration of Slovak ethnic minorities and communities abroad.
Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák addressed the delegates from more than 20 countries with a speech in which he praised the biennial conference as a key platform for exchanging experience and opinions between individual compatriot communities, and between these and the state. Lajčák also commented on the problematic Dual Citizenship Act, which bans Slovaks from holding the citizenship of another state and which came as a reaction to Hungarian legislation in 2010 that was aimed at granting citizenship en masse to ethnic Hungarians living in neighbouring countries. According to Lajčák, the Government is debating the issue, as the law has caused obvious problems for Slovaks living abroad. The relationship of Slovaks living abroad with their country of origin should be the subject of new legislation set to be introduced next year. It should improve their status vis-a-vis Slovakia and its institutions, for example, added Lajčák.
