“Ukrainian leaders should not make unfounded accusation, but should instead restore the rights that have been taken away from national minorities”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s State Secretary for Information and the International Representation of Hungary Tamás Menczer said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Wednesday.

“The statement issued by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó was clear and unequivocal”, the State Secretary explained. “Hungary was also correct and supported Ukraine in a host of ways when the previous president and the forces linked to him violated international law and took away the rights of the Hungarian minority”, he pointed out. “Hungary is striving to improve bilateral relations, and trusts that under the leadership of the new president Ukraine will also step onto this path”, he highlighted.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it would be asking the relative Ukrainian authorities to provide a legal assessment with relation to Mr. Szijjártó’s visit to Transcarpathia earlier that day. The Ministry said that while ignoring previous recommendations the Hungarian Foreign Minister had visited Berehove (Beregszász), where he took part in several public events.

According to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the official diplomatic note received from the Hungarian Embassy in Kiev states that Mr. Szijjártó was invited by Ukrainian Member of Parliament László Brenzovich, who is a candidate at Sunday’s early parliamentary elections in Ukraine.

On Tuesday in Berehove, Mr. Szijjártó said: ““We truly hope – and hoping is not interference in internal affairs – that a parliamentary distribution of power develops in Kiev that enables a significant improvement in relations between the two countries”.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)