Riga  - Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak on Thursday called an attack on his country's embassy in Budapest a "criminal act" and criticised the Hungarian government's handling of a diplomatic spat that erupted after Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom was denied entry to Slovakia last Friday.

Speaking after talks with Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins in Riga, Lajcak said Slovakia and Hungary had "similar views on 95 per cent of issues" but different views on some aspects of history.

"Last Friday was not a good day for Slovakian relations," Lajcak said, before criticizing Solyom's attempt to cross the border for a private visit and the subsequent actions of the Hungarian government.

"There are rules that are normally observed for organizing visits by state leaders. The Hungarian president decided to ignore those rules," Lajcak said.

"We are trying to patiently explain to our Hungarian friends that rather than sending letters (of protest) all over the planet, it would be better to sit down with us and discuss these issues," he added.

The Slovak Embassy in Budapest was attacked on Wednesday with Molotov cocktails, though the incendiary devices did not explode.

"We see this attack as an individual criminal act. All extremists must understand that this is not the way forward," Lajcak said.

"We must never ever find ourselves in this situation again."(dpa)