Slovakia will not abolish the recently passed amendment to the language law, Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a statement in which he rejected Monday's appeal by the Hungarian parliament to do so.

From September on, the amendment introduces fines for the wrong use of Slovak. Fico said the legislation fully corresponded with international rules.

The controversial language legislation that introduces fines for the incorrect use of the Slovak language was signed by Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic into law earlier this month.

The amendment to the law on the state language approved by the Slovak parliament in June introduces sanctions of 100 to 5000 euros to be imposed by the Culture Ministry.

The ministry can punish municipalities and offices for not stating the names of streets and buildings in Slovak.

Clerks, citizens and businesspeople can be fined if they do not speak Slovak on radio.

The languages of minorities can be used just as in the past at offices in the municipalities in which minority members constitute at least 20 percent of all.

Fico said the legislation was in full harmony with international rules.

"The government of Slovakia and the governing coalition will not yield to any pressure or blackmail in relation to the amendment to the state language law," Fico told journalists.

Fico said Slovakia was a sovereign country and Slovak is its official state language.

It is natural to expect all citizens irrespective of ethnic origin to master it and to have the right to communicate in the language, Fico said, adding that the legislation widened the use of ethnic minorities' languages in many respects.

A 500,000-strong Hungarian minority lives in the five-million Slovakia.