Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, after a meeting in Brussels with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, informed about the progress in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations. “In recent weeks, we have taken new steps to be able to talk about mutual trust in relations between Hungary and Ukraine again,” Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on social media on Wednesday after a meeting in Brussels with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó (left) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talk during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, April 3, 2024. Photo by OLIVIER HOSLET/PAP/EPA

Péter Szijjártó attended the meeting of the foreign ministers of the NATO member states in the Belgian capital, and in the afternoon held bilateral talks with his Ukrainian colleagues. 'There has been some progress in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations', the head of Hungarian diplomacy announced on social media on Wednesday evening. 

The minister of foreign trade and foreign affairs emphasized that, following the infrastructure development carried out with government support on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border, 1 million containers and 3 million tons of wheat and edible oil can be transhipped at Fényeslitke every year, which can greatly help in maintaining Ukraine's trade with Europe. 

'We are looking forward to tomorrow's meeting of the Hungarian-Ukrainian working group on education, because the most important task now is to restore the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia to education and the use of their native language,' Szijjarto said.

Dmytro Kuleba agreed with Szijjarto, noting that a number of actions have been taken to improve bilateral relations. The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed expectation for more constructive developments in the situation in the coming days and weeks. 

There is a large Hungarian minority living in Ukrainian Transcarpathia, currently estimated at 100-150 thousand people.

Source: Facebook Watch

The head of Hungarian diplomacy also referred on Wednesday to the issue of choosing a successor to Jens Stoltenberg, who holds his position until the end of September this year. “Never in history has any Central and Eastern European member state delegated a Secretary General to NATO, so it's high time. Especially since the main security challenge comes from this direction," argued the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Brussels, recalling that many Central and Eastern European countries have been members of NATO for twenty or even twenty-five years.

The head of Hungarian diplomacy emphasized that although he is aware that many member states support the candidacy of the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Hungary does not intend to join this group. “We cannot trust a man who previously talked about bringing Hungary to its knees… I think that is clear to everyone,” announced Minister Szijjártó, noting that “the nomination of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has created a new situation.”

(J)