Using the relationship between Hungary and Slovakia as a case study, this article discusses the problems associated with ‘bilateral’ ethnopolitics in the context of cross‐border minority situations. It starts by outlining a theoretical framework for such an analysis, and then turns to the institutional structure of legislation and policy related to minorities in Slovakia. This is followed by an analysis of the role that minority issues have played in the bilateral relations between Hungary and Slovakia. The article concludes with some more general observations on the factors that influence cross‐border minority situations similar to that of Hungary and Slovakia.