Ukraine's Foreign Minister announces steps to resolve dispute with Hungary over minorities

Ukraine is committed to finally settling its dispute with Hungary over the rights of national minorities, and a special commission under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present a "specific understanding" on this matter within ten days.

Source: Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, at a press conference with Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President, and Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Foreign Minister, in Uzhhorod on Monday, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Kuleba said that much of the meeting in Uzhhorod had focused on the issue of national minorities.

He said Szijjártó had listed a number of issues that, from Hungary's point of view, require either clarification, specification, or additional resolution at the level of bylaws.

Quote from Kuleba: "We agreed on one simple thing. We asked the Hungarian side to provide us with an exhaustive list of the questions that it has about the protection of the rights of members of minorities, and we have received that list.

We have agreed that we will assemble a special commission, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will have one very simple task: within ten days, it must present the governments of both countries with a specific understanding of how and what [matters] from the list of questions we have received need to be resolved or have already been resolved so that we can provide final clarity."

Kuleba said that whereas previously the issue of national minorities had been about making decisions in the context of Ukraine's EU membership, now there is a desire to have this discussion at the bilateral level in order to "finally resolve the issue, which in principle has already been resolved in the interests of all national minorities".

Reminder:

• Ukraine’s Parliament passed the law on national minorities on 8 December, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed it the same day.
• Leaders of the Hungarian communities in Ukraine responded positively to the new law. 
• Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu also welcomed the adoption of the law.

Support UP or become our patron!