Hungary wants rights restored to its minority in Ukraine

Monday, 29 January 2024, 17:56

Hungary has asked Ukraine to restore rights that were in place until 2015 to the Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia).

Source: Ukrinform, quoting Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó at a joint briefing with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President, following talks in Uzhhorod

Quote: "Since 2017, laws have been adopted that have reduced the rights of the Hungarian minority [in Ukraine – ed.]. In December, the Parliament passed a law that stopped this. But we have a request – maybe it's too much, and you will think I'm being impolite – but we ask that the Hungarian minority be given back all the rights it had before 2015. We are not asking for anything else."

Details: Szijjártó said that the delegations of the two countries had met to restore good neighbourly relations. He said that the Hungarian side has formulated a request in 11 points: in particular, the restoration of the status of national schools, the possibility of obtaining matriculation certificates in Hungarian, and the use of Hungarian in public life.

Szijjártó said a commission has been instructed to reach an agreement on these issues and develop proposals for the ministries as soon as possible. 

Background

On 29 January, Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that negotiations with the Hungarian Foreign Minister showed that Ukraine and Hungary both want to organise a meeting at the highest level.

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