Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó received the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier on Tuesday; the parties discussed the situation in Ukraine.

Mr. Szijjártó determined that Ukraine is continuing to fail to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission and has still not begun the required consultations with minority representatives concerning the implementation of the Ukrainian Education Act.

The Minister said that in his opinion Ukraine’s behaviour is in gross infringement of international law and the expectations posed by the European Union.

Mr. Szijjártó also took the opportunity to thank Lamberto Zannier for paying particular attention to this issue.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was an unacceptable and extremely serious incident that the central office of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ) in Uzhhorod (Ungvár) had been attacked twice in the last two months.

Extremist forces and ideologies are gaining increasing strength in Ukraine, and Hungarians in Transcarpathia are being regularly intimidated, he said.

Mr. Szijjártó also repeated that importance of the Hungarian initiative according to which the OSCE’s special monitoring mission in Ukraine should also establish a permanent presence in Transcarpathia.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)