Hungary explains why it lifted its veto on start of Ukraine's EU accession talks

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said that his country succeeded in including all its conditions in the negotiation framework on the basis of which Ukraine's accession to the EU will be negotiated.

Source: Szijjártó on Facebook

Details: Szijjártó stated that after "intense discussions",  the EU agreed that the negotiation framework for Ukraine should include all of Hungary's demands regarding the observance of the rights of national minorities.

"Some member states did not want to hear about this condition, but we made it clear that we insist on restoring the rights of minorities to preserve their national identity, use their mother tongue and study in their mother tongue," he commented.

Now, Szijjártó said, the negotiating framework states that Ukraine "must return to the Hungarians of Zakarparttia the rights taken away from them in recent years."

Background: 

• The day before, the permanent representatives of the EU member states agreed on the negotiation framework for the accession talks between Ukraine and Moldova.
• The decision of the EU ambassadors means that on 25 June, as planned, an intergovernmental conference will be held to officially launch the accession negotiations between Ukraine and Moldova.
• Hungary, at the level of permanent representatives, blocked the decision, speaking of "insufficient progress made by Ukraine on national minorities." At the same time, the European Commission gave a positive verbal assessment of the progress of European integration reforms in Ukraine and Moldova in early June.

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