[ad_1]
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba, Budapest remains one of the “open wounds” for Ukraine, but the minister also spoke with some confidence about the expected development of relations between the two countries.
In his extensive interview, exclusively related to foreign policy, with Deny, he also covered the relations between Hungary and Ukraine. He reiterated that Kiev has the right to determine what the country’s education system will be like, not Russia, Hungary, Poland, the United States or China.
He stressed that the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has made a series of comments and suggestions on the Education Law of Ukraine adopted in 2017, and Ukraine has implemented them, aligning the legislation with its international obligations, so Kiev considers the issue closed.
Photo: Valentyn Ogirenko / MTI / EPA
Kuleba recalled one of his meetings with his Hungarian partner, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where he explained that Hungarian-Ukrainian relations could be revived, but that there were still many obstacles and ups and downs and that there would be mainly Russia – to intervene as a “third force”.
Therefore, he suggested to the Hungarian Foreign Minister that they be morally prepared for a very difficult process, but the two ministers agreed that they would follow this path. In Kuleba’s words, everything that followed confirmed that agreement.
He also expressed his conviction that Hungary, as Ukraine’s neighbor, has no aggressive intentions towards Kiev. He stressed that Hungary is a member of the EU and NATO, so the two countries must find a common denominator based on mutual respect.
Moving on to the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine, he explained that they are citizens of Ukraine and therefore an integral part of Ukrainian society.
Therefore, all the anti-Hungarian hysteria that some forces are trying to spread on social media is not only hysteria against Hungarians, but also against Ukrainians, because we are all part of one body, Ukraine.
Said the minister. He stated that Kiev was ready to normalize its relations with Budapest if Hungary adhered to the rules of the game.
In a television statement a few days earlier, the minister expressed his belief that Hungary would not completely block Ukraine’s relations with NATO. Kuleba said that although the date of the new meeting with his Hungarian colleague, Péter Szijjártó, has not yet been set, both are prepared for it. He recalled that until 2017, Ukraine’s central leadership paid little attention to Transcarpathia, believing that Hungary could therefore “feel quite free in Transcarpathian county”.
However, the process that began then continues. According to him, Kiev understands that Hungary is concerned about the fate of Hungarians with Ukrainian citizenship. Budapest has the right to care for them, but must do so within the “red lines” required by Ukrainian law, the Ukrainian foreign minister said.
[ad_2]
