According to Hungarian organizations, the law does not provide an adequate institutional basis and legal mechanisms for the enforcement and protection of the rights of national minorities.Continue reading
Stefan Löwenstein, the Vienna correspondent of the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, who also frequently writes about Hungarian affairs, published an article on Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and the Ukrainian laws that adversely affect the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia.
The author noted that the Foreign Ministry in Kiev recently accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of pathological hatred of the Ukrainian people and political short-sightedness.
This follows an interview in December in which the Prime Minister said:
Ukraine is only able to carry on fighting as long as the United States supports it with money and weapons.”
Relations between the Ukrainian and Hungarian governments have been strained since the beginning of the war, with Hungary refusing to supply arms to Ukraine or allow shipments through its territory for security reasons. Although the Hungarian government has so far supported all EU sanctions packages, it has only agreed to them on condition that they do not endanger Hungary’s energy supply.
Löwenstein recalls that the Hungarian government’s position is mainly explained by its energy dependence on Russia.
The author also points out that footage has emerged of Ukrainian nationalists threatening Hungarians.
A video was posted of a Ukrainian nationalist threatening the children of ethnic Hungarians.
The footage was taken in front of the Transcarpathian city of Berehove (Beregszász) where 48% of the population is ethnic Hungarian. pic.twitter.com/mrg1w57N7s— Based Hungary (@HungaryBased) December 12, 2022
According to Löwenstein, Hungarian objections to the Ukrainian language law cannot simply be swept off the table (the law has also been criticized by Romania).
He stressed that the restrictions, which affect access to public office and school posts, are aimed primarily at Russians, but also affect members of other minorities. In his view, the Hungarian voice in this area is perfectly legitimate, although the way in which it is expressed could be debated.
Featured photo via KKM/Borsos Mátyás