Croatian Foreign Minister upset after receiving atlas of Hungary as a gift from Hungarian Ambassador to NATO

As an end-of-year gift, Hungarian Ambassador to NATO István Balogh gifted Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman a geographic atlas of Hungary, which also depicts the entire Carpathian Basin. The Croatian politician posted on Friday saying that he found Balogh's gift inappropriate because it contained references to the historic Greater Hungary.

Grlić-Radman does not specify in his post exactly what he finds problematic about the publication or what kind of atlas he had received. He only writes that it is unusual to give such an atlas as a gift, and that although the publication does not mention Greater Hungary explicitly, ‘the maps and accompanying texts in the book are problematic’.

The minister wrote that they are discussing the unacceptable gesture with politicians from Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. According to STA, the Slovenian foreign ministry also commented on the matter, saying that it was important to respect and keep in mind the officially agreed borders.

According to the Slovenian foreign ministry, it is an English-language atlas published in 2021 as part of the National Atlas of Hungary series. The volume features the history and maps of the wider Carpathian Basin, an area stretching beyond Hungary's borders, the Slovenian ministry said.

We have sent questions to both the Hungarian and Croatian foreign ministries about the matter, and will publish their reactions.

Two years ago, it was the Slovak Foreign Minister who got upset when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán appeared at a football match wearing a scarf depicting Greater Hungary, which the Slovak politician described as disgusting.