“The pressure on Ukraine is clearly increasing in view of the fact that on Friday two important international organisations also confirmed the Hungarian criticism of the Ukrainian Education Act”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Deputy State Secretary for Communication and Parliamentary Coordination Tamás Menczer said at a press conference in Budapest.

“Following the statement by the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the preliminary report by the Venice Commission, it has been definitively proven that this is not just a Hungarian issue, but a European one”, Mr. Menczer said.

The Deputy State Secretary pointed out that on Friday in Brussels, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó had informed the EU-Ukraine Association Council of the three most important points of the Hungarian standpoint. “At the meeting, the Minister reiterated that acquired minority rights may not be taken away, in addition to which Ukraine should begin substantive talks with the Hungarian minority and must fully implement the recommendations and conclusions of the Venice Commission”, Mr. Menczer explained.

The Deputy State Secretary also spoke about the fact that the Venice Commission will be publishing its full report on the issue on Monday, but had already confirmed on Friday that the criticism of Ukraine was justified, as well as stating that Ukraine is going against both its own Constitution and its international commitments. “Moreover, the Commission also stated that the contested part of the Ukrainian Education Act, Article 7, must be amended”, he added.

“Naturally, Ukraine has the right to reorganise and reform the teaching of the Ukrainian language, although without restricting the rights of national minorities to receive education in their native language, and in recent years Hungarian teachers in Transcarpathia have on several occasions put forward proposals for a solution, all of which have been dismissed, however”, Mr. Menczer said.

On Friday, Ukraine interpreted the Venice Commission’s preliminary report “in an unusual way”, but Hungary would not like to enter this “interpretation competition” and would like Ukraine to fulfil the legitimate expectations posed by the international community.

“Ukraine is clearly in a deciding position, not Hungary”, the Deputy State Secretary continued, adding that Ukraine brought about the situation and is also the one capable of solving it.

Mr. Menczer stressed that the Hungarian Government will continue to fight for the right of Transcarpathian Hungarians to receive education in their native language until they state that the situation has been resolved to their satisfaction.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)