Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó will be travelling to Ungvár (Uzhhorod, Ukraine) on Monday to personally discuss the situation surrounding Ukraine’s new Education Act, the Ministry’s Deputy State Secretary for Communication and Parliamentary Coordination, Tamás Menczer informed Hungarian news agency MTI.

Mr. Szijjártó has often said that he regards the amendment of Ukraine’s Education Act to be “outrageous and unacceptable”. The Minister has used all possible forums to assure the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine that “he is fighting and will continue to fight for students’ rights to continue to be able to study in Hungarian in future”, he explained. The organisation of Ukrainian language teaching should not lead to minorities being stripped of the rights they have already been afforded, he declared.

Péter Szijjártó is in continuous contact with representatives of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. Following the completion of negotiations in Warsaw with the participation of nine countries, he will immediately travel to Ukraine to hold talks with the leaders of the Cultural Union of Hungarians in Transcarpathia (KMKSZ) and with Governor of Transcarpathia Gennady Moskal.

At the meetings, the parties will evaluate the steps taken so far and will discuss what other measures the Hungarian Government could introduce in the interests of Transcarpathian Hungarians.

“The Hungarians may be in a minority in Ukraine, but they are not alone; they have the full backing of the Hungarian Government. Taking away rights that have already been afforded to minorities is unacceptable”, Mr. Menczer said in the statement, highlighting the fact that the chasm between the two standpoints can only disappear if Ukraine gives minorities back their rights. “In that case, Ukraine will again be able to count on Hungary’s support, but not until then”, the Ministry’s statement reads.

(MTI)