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Sofia — The Czech ambassador to Bulgaria was given a toilet bowl as a present late last week, after a depiction of Bulgaria as a squat toilet in an artwork for the Czech EU presidency drew Sofia’s ire this week.
Ambassador Martin Klepetko was handed the present by a youth organisation during his official presentation of the priorities of the Czech European Union presidency in Sofia, the state BTA news agency reported.
He received the gift with a smile and jokingly asked whether he would have to flush the Bulgarian toilet exhibit in the new bowl, BTA added.
The Czech presidency unveiled a massive artwork on Monday representing an unconventional map of Europe that shows France as "on Strike" and portrays Bulgaria as a squat toilet, while the German part has a hint of a swastika about it.
The artwork has sparked laughter from some quarters and anger from others.
Sofia has pressed for the part of the sculpture representing Bulgaria to be removed and the Czech presidency has agreed to cover up that section.
At the same time, Slovakia said it had "acknowledged" a Czech apology for the official EU artwork that depicted the country as a Hungarian sausage.
The Slovak foreign ministry said in a statement it "has acknowledged that Czech deputy prime minister for European affairs Alexandr Vondra has… apologised for a possible unintentional insult.
"The Slovak foreign ministry thereafter considers the matter closed," added the ministry, which had said Thursday it was contemplating asking the Czechs to remove or cover the Slovak part of the artwork entitled "Entropa."
AFP/Expatica