“It is time to apply the strongest possible measures in defence of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared on Hungarian M1 television’s Tuesday morning current affairs program.

Mr. Szijjártó confirmed that in view of the amendment of Ukraine’s Act on Education, he has ordered Hungarian diplomats to refuse to support any and all initiatives that are important to Ukraine on international forums.

The politician called the amendment of the Ukrainian Education Act shameful and outrageous, particularly in view of the fact that the Hungarian Government has been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s European ambitions and has asked that the law not be changed on several occasions.

Given this, the adoption of the new Education Act cannot be regarded as anything other than a “stab in the back” for Hungary, he added.

Accordingly, the Hungarian Foreign Minister has turned to the minority affairs committees of the OSCE, the UN, the EU and the Council of Europe. The Hungarian Government is calling on them to apply pressure to Ukraine.

“All the more because in view of the fact that the new law strips students of their right to study in their native language from the fifth grade onwards, it is a lie to claim that Ukraine is guaranteeing the rights of minorities according to European standards”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

Speaking on Kossuth Radio’s “180 Minutes” program, the Minister said that a five-party consensus and united action with relation to the Education Act was important.

“Relations with some neighbouring countries have developed in a way that requires a tougher tone on the part of Hungarian diplomacy, and the use of painful measures against Romania and Ukraine If necessary”, he said.

“The task of Hungarian foreign policy is to protect Hungarian people, wherever they may live in the world”, he declared.

With relation to the evacuation of Hungarian nationals from the hurricane-ravaged area, Mr. Szijjártó stressed that it has become clear that the Dutch, the Germans and the Americans are rescuing their own citizens from the island of St. Martin, and accordingly the Ministry has come to an agreement with an American airline, which will fly to St. Martin from the Dominican Republic on Tuesday to evacuate Hungarian citizens trapped on the island.

Four of the nine Hungarian citizens have since left the island, meaning only a family of five with dual French-Hungarian citizenship are still on St. Martin. The private aircraft will fly in to collect them as soon as it is given permission by the local authorities, Mr. Szijjártó said.

(MTI)