Ukraine and Hungary agree to form special commission to resolve dispute over national minority rights
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
A special commission will be created under the auspices of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Hungary, which will present to the governments of both countries the final resolution of contentious issues on the rights of national minorities within ten days.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated this following a meeting in the western city of Uzhhorod with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Rubryka reports.
"We had a very candid conversation — first, we spoke at length in a narrow format, then in an expanded one. I want to emphasize the main feature of this conversation — it's openness, sincerity, and, at the same time, constructiveness," Kuleba said.
He noted that one of the key topics of the talks was Ukraine's membership in the EU. In this context, the Ukrainian foreign minister noted Hungary's decision to compromise on opening negotiations with Ukraine at the European Council meeting in December of last year.
"More important decisions lie ahead; we discussed them. We conclude that Ukraine, as a member of the EU, best strategically serves the interests of Hungary," the minister said.
He added that the parties also discussed Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration and issues of sectoral cooperation. The minister informed that a significant part of the meeting in Uzhhorod was dedicated to the issue of the rights of national minorities.
"We unwound this story from the very beginning and converged in positions — both the Hungarian and Ukrainian sides — that we want to settle this issue conscientiously from both sides," Kuleba noted.
According to him, during the meeting, Szijjártó listed a range of issues that, from the Hungarian side, require clarification, specification, or additional resolution at the level of subordinate acts.
"We agreed on one simple thing. We asked the Hungarian side to provide us with a comprehensive list of issues it has regarding the protection of the rights of minorities. We received this list," Kuleba said. "We agreed that under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry, we would convene a special commission, which has one very simple task: within ten days, it must present to the governments of both countries a specific understanding of what from that list of issues we received and how needs to be resolved, or has already been resolved so that we bring final clarity."
He clarified that previously, the issue of national minorities was discussed in terms of decisions within the context of Ukraine's EU membership, but "now we want to have this discussion on a bilateral level" to "finally settle the issue that has already been fundamentally resolved in the interests of all national minorities."
As Rubryka reported, on December 8, 2023, the Ukrainian parliament expanded the rights of national minorities in Ukraine, primarily in education, by adopting changes to laws and harmonizing them with the recommendations of the European Commission to avoid blocking the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
What do we know about the negotiations in Uzhhorod?
On January 29, Szijjártó arrived in Uzhhorod, where he met with the head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak, and Minister Dmytro Kuleba. According to Yermak, the negotiations will concern the normalization of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations.
During the visit to the largest city cemetery in Uzhhorod, Kalvaria, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, in a joint briefing with Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba and Head of the President's Office Yermak following negotiations in Uzhhorod, stated that Hungary condemns the war against Ukraine and will continue to assist in humanitarian matters but will not supply weapons.
