The foreign minister has revealed that Hungarian minorities across the borders is one of the most important aspects of Hungarian foreign policy and will not be “sacrificed for geopolitical games”.
During a meeting of parliament’s committee for national cohesion on Tuesday, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the situation of Hungarian minorities across the borders has improved in the past five years. However, many issues remain unsolved.
According to MTI, the minister highlighted that national interests must be the cornerstone of foreign policy decisions. “We have to accept” that the government comes regularly under pressure as a result of that principle, he said.
The government’s joint achievements with neighboring countries have improved ethnic Hungarians’ situations, and provide an opportunity to discuss complicated issues in an atmosphere of mutual trust, he added.
The minister said Serbia treats Hungarian communities “the fairest”, even in comparison with European Union member states. Hungary is therefore justified in arguing for the country’s EU accession, he added. Ukraine is on “the opposite end of the spectrum”, he said.
Minister Szijjártó said that ever since the new administration started work in Ukraine, pressure has grown on the Hungarian community there, adding that Hungary’s government rejected such pressure. The measures taken to improve the situation of Transcarpathia Hungarians have been interpreted as “revisionist”, he said. He said respect for historical facts cannot be seen as revisionism.
The minister concluded that Hungary has great hopes regarding the new Ukrainian leadership, although little progress has been made “apart from positive statements”.
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