Brussels would sacrifice the Hungarian community's rights for Ukraine’s fast-track EU accession, Hungary's Foreign Minister warned.Continue reading
The Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade feels a new dynamism and spirit in the work on open bilateral issues, which he believes provides a basis for offering an acceptable solution to the Ukrainian side on the issue of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. Levente Magyar spoke about this on Tuesday after talks in Budapest with Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration.
“I see hope that we will reach an agreement in the foreseeable future that could fundamentally reshape Hungary’s position towards Ukraine. Until these issues are resolved, we will block certain steps related to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration,” Levente Magyar stated at a joint press conference.
He recalled that Hungarian-Ukrainian relations had been strained since the mid-2010s by issues surrounding the legal status of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and the uncertainty created by certain Ukrainian laws. He added that
so far, no solution has been found that would fully resolve the conditions under which the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia can use their mother tongue in education, various areas of community life, and in administrative matters.
“Today, we agreed that the two expert delegations will continue their work at an accelerated pace in mid-May,” the State Secretary noted.
Olha Stefanishyna, who also heads the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, emphasized that Ukraine takes all of its obligations that lead the country toward Euro-Atlantic integration seriously. “This includes protecting the rights of minorities and maintaining good neighborly relations. What Hungary offers us in our bilateral relations is very important to us, including temporary protection for those fleeing the war,” she emphasized.
She said that a number of educational and minority issues remain to be resolved, but that they have reached the point where a plan has been drawn up to address all 11 points outlined by the Hungarian side. “We are fulfilling our obligations fairly and sincerely, and we see that Budapest also supports genuine dialogue. The European integration process has greatly contributed to changing our policy towards national minorities in Ukraine, while we have taken steps to consolidate the Ukrainian state language.
We have established the necessary institutional framework for national dialogue and are developing regulations to ensure access to secondary and higher education in minority languages,”
stated the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister.
Responding to a question, Magyar said that the Hungarian government has a moral and legal obligation to take action against the restrictive measures affecting the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia that were introduced after 2015. “We have achieved minor results in recent years, but we cannot say that Hungarians in Ukraine can now use their mother tongue with complete security and freedom in all the forums where they were previously able to do so. The current negotiations have shown that we can reach a situation where Ukraine fully guarantees these rights. It is not in Ukraine’s interest that a Hungarian minority of almost 100,000 people should not feel at home in its territory,” stressed the State Secretary.
Regarding the question about the government’s poster campaign and the referendum on Ukraine’s EU accession, Mr. Magyar said that the Ukrainian politician had raised the issue. “The government will determine its mandate and measures based on whether the Hungarian population supports Ukraine’s accession to the European Union in the ongoing consultation. Hungary’s foreign policy approach towards Ukraine is multifaceted and cannot be simplified to a yes or no.
Any favorable changes in the status of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia will not change the fact that the EU and Hungary would take on an economic burden with the accession process outlined for 2030 that is currently unacceptable because it would fundamentally rewrite the internal relations of the Union,”
he explained.
The State Secretary added that Hungary is providing assistance in many ways to Ukraine amid the ongoing war and significant progress has been made in many areas in recent years. As an example, he mentioned that a new border crossing point was opened recently, Budapest and Kyiv are now connected by direct train services, and new routes in Transcarpathia will soon be added to the transport system.
He explained that Ukrainian children are taught in Ukrainian at two schools in Hungary, and in a few months’ time, a school rebuilt from the ruins of war will be inaugurated in the Kyiv region. In addition, wounded Ukrainian soldiers are being cared for in Hungary, the government operates an extensive scholarship program for Ukraine, and more than 13,000 Ukrainian children affected by the war have been given the opportunity to attend summer camps in Hungary. Moreover, Hungary is Ukraine’s largest supplier of electricity today, Magyar highlighted.
Via MTI, Featured photo via MTI/Soós Lajos
