“Hungary is recommending to the Ukrainian leadership that relations between the two countries should return to their usual track, when the previously acquired rights of the Hungarian national community living in Transcarpathia had not been taken away”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI from Toronto on Wednesday.

With relation to the conference on the reform processes launched in Ukraine being held in the Canadian city, the Minister said that the previous Ukrainian leadership and President Poroshenko had practiced decidedly anti-Hungarian politics, as a result of which the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia had been seriously curtailed. The acts on education and language use stripped the Hungarian minority of previously acquired rights, which is totally in violation of all European standards, international law, and Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral undertakings. “The new Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, represents a renewed hope that Ukraine will not be practicing anti-Hungarian politics”, Mr Szijjártó said. “The statements of the new Ukrainian President are encouraging, but can only provide cause for cautious optimism. The true watershed will be whether Zelensky implements the legislative changes following the parliamentary elections, as a result of which the Hungarian national community regain their previous rights”, he stated.

“Hungary’s expectation is that Ukraine returns these rights. If this occurs, Hungary will give its consent to the convening of the next session of the NATO-Ukraine Commission”, the Minister added. Mr. Szijjártó said Hungary is recommending to Ukraine that relations between the two countries be put back onto their usual track, when they were based on mutual respect, and when the previously acquired rights of the Hungarian national community living in Transcarpathia had not been taken away. “If the Ukrainian party does this, Hungary is prepared to implement a comprehensive economic cooperation plan with Ukraine, within the framework of which it will finance road construction projects in Transcarpathia within the framework of a 50 million euro tied aid loan programme”, the politician said. “As part of this, four new border crossing points would be opened between Hungary and Ukraine. In addition, we would provide one hundred scholarship places for Ukrainian students to study at Hungarian universities”, he added.

“We would renew the operations of our joint economic and environmental committees, in addition to which we would continue the Transcarpathia Economic Development Programme, within the framework of which the Hungarian Government has already provided some 14 billion forints (EUR 43.4 million) in funding to 5591 small and medium-sized enterprises and farmers. As a continuation of the Programme, Hungary would increase the level of funding by a further one and a half billion forints. This would conform to the interests of Hungary and Ukraine, and especially to those of Hungarians living in Transcarpathia”, the Minister said.  The politician also spoke about the fact that at the conference in Toronto he had explained that as a state that borders Ukraine, a strong, stable and democratic Ukraine is in Hungary’s interests. “Hungary has always taken a stand in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty”, he added.

“The rights of the 150 thousand strong Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia were severely violated under the previous administration, despite the fact that Hungary has always striven to maintain good neighbourly relations with Ukraine. This is proven by the fact that the Hungarian Government has provided hospital treatment for Ukrainian soldiers wounded in the fighting in Eastern Ukraine, and since 2015 has provided free vacations at Lake Velence for 2400 Ukrainian children whose relatives have been affected by the fighting”, the Minister said. “In addition, despite the risks, Hungary has provided reverse shipments of natural gas to Ukraine and sent tons of chlorine to Transcarpathia when the supply of drinking water was endangered”, he listed. On the sidelines of the conference, Mr. Szijjártó held talks with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv, United States Special Envoy Kurt Volker and Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Marijana Nikolova.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)