Hungary wants rights restored to its minority in Ukraine

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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