Showing Croatian territory in a false historical context or promoting past failed aspirations is unacceptable, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry told the Vecernji List daily, referring to a Hungarian illustration showing a "historical" map of Hungary being torn up by hands grabbing at its territory, including parts of Croatia.

The map was published by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s international communications office, reports the Sunday issue of Vecernji List.

The publication came as Hungary marked a few days ago its Day of National Unity – a memorial day introduced in 2010 to commemorate the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, signed between 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 a “historical” map of Hungary – an illustration showing five hands tearing up Hungary and grabbing at its territory and population.

The website called About Hungary 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 them know that the illustration, which shows parts of Croatian territory and implied that they were part of Hungary taken by 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,” Vecernji List reported.

The illustration was met by 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 Jansa, who is close to Orban, has made no comment, said Vecernji List.