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News in Brief

FM: Hungary will approve Ukraine’s NATO accession after rights of ethnic Hungarians are restored

Dec 05, 2019

Hungary has made it clear that it would only lift a veto blocking Ukraine’s NATO accession if the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia are restored.

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FM: Hungarian minorities abroad is an important part of Hungarian foreign policy

Nov 13, 2019

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”.

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Fidesz MEP asks Ursula von der Leyen to help protect Hungarian minorities in Transcarpathia region

Jul 25, 2019

In a letter to European Union officials, Fidesz MEP Andrea Bocskor has asked for the EU to take action in protecting the Hungarian community in western Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region.

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FM: Anti-Hungarian sentiments in Romania could affect Hungary’s position toward the country

Jul 02, 2019

Péter Szijjártó said that maintaining relations based on mutual respect is important because of the ethnic Hungarians living in minority in Romania.

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FM: Ukraine's language law is unacceptable

Apr 26, 2019

“Our aim is to have friendship return between Hungary and Ukraine and the outcome of this recent presidential election gives some hope for that,” the foreign minister said

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Transylvanian village fined for publishing its newsletter in Hungarian

Mar 29, 2019

The village of Gyergyóremete, located in the Eastern part of Transylvania has a population of just over 6,000, 99.2 percent of which are Hungarian

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Ukraine says it will deny entry to Hungarian commissioner in charge of Transcarpathia developments

Aug 06, 2018

The Prime Minister’s Office said Grezsa’s work “is not aimed against Ukraine in any way”, but aims to develop areas on both sides of the border “along coordinated, clear lines”

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Hungary sees western Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region as a bridge to the EU

Aug 02, 2018

“We’d like it if the chasm being widened by Ukrainian politics between Uzhhorod (Ungvár) and Kiev disappeared because our goal has never been to pursue any kind of separatist aspirations, as has been unjustly alleged but rather to help Ukraine’s westernmost county serve as a link and a bridge to the European Union,” István Grezsa said

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PM Orbán: Hungary has no problem with Georgia’s NATO aspirations and fully agrees with them

Jul 13, 2018

The prime minister said there is an ongoing dispute with Ukraine, which is not simply a dispute between Hungary and Ukraine

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Hungary's position regarding Ukraine has not changed

Jul 11, 2018

Hungary will continue to block Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration efforts as long as the infringement of minority rights continues

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Foreign minister calls on Council of Europe to take protecting European minorities seriously

Jun 19, 2018

The minister said it was wrong for a European institution to concern itself with Hungary’s “Stop Soros” law aimed at ensuring the security of the Hungarian people rather than with the Hungarians of western Ukraine “whose rights are being seriously breached”

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Ukraine finally takes steps to negotiate with leaders of the Hungarian minority

Jun 06, 2018

Attempting to show that it is making good on previous commitments, Ukraine takes steps to talk with representatives of the Hungarian minority community to find a resolution to the dispute over a discriminatory education law

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Hungary marks National Cohesion Day

Jun 05, 2018

On June 4th every year, Hungarians mark the day of the signing of the Trianon Treaty in 1920, which stripped Hungary of two thirds of its territory and turned 3.3 million Hungarians into ethnic minorities living in foreign countries

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Hungary's FM: Ukraine is preparing to deal a “third blow” to its national minorities by imposing sanctions on dual citizens

Apr 25, 2018

Hungary’s foreign minister has highlighted how Ukraine is dealing yet another blow to minorities by introducing a law that would impose restrictions on dual citizens

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Attack in Ukraine: PM Orbán offers the government’s help to László Brenzovics of the KMKSZ

Mar 01, 2018

The arson attack was condemned by the government and several political parties, including Fidesz, LMP, MSZP, Párbeszéd and Jobbik, as well as by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Hennadiy Moskal, governor of Transcarpathia

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Central office of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ) has been attacked for the second time in a month

Feb 28, 2018

The foreign minister said that Ukraine’s ambassador to Budapest will be summoned to the Ministry, and the Hungarian consul general in Ungvár as well as the Hungarian ambassador to Kiev will be recalled immediately

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Hungary's foreign ministry reveals there has been a significant step toward normalizing Hungarian-Ukrainian relations

Feb 08, 2018

Levente Magyar says there is a strong possibility of restoring friendly cooperation between the two countries

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Hungary's FM: Government demands legal guarantees from Ukraine over Education Act

Jan 25, 2018

Hungary’s foreign minister met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Paris to discuss the Ukraine Education Act

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"Extraordinary" Hungarian-Ukrainian-American trilateral meeting to discuss Ukraine Education Act to take place in Paris

Jan 24, 2018

Hungary’s foreign minister will be joined by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell in Paris on Wednesday to hold talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin

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And what did the European Commission have to say about former PM Tudose’s outrageous remark?

Jan 16, 2018 - Zoltán Kovács

Hungarian state television M1 asked for a reaction, and here’s what they got from the Commission spokesperson

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Fidesz signs Minority SafePack to help protect ethnic minorities in Europe

Jan 03, 2018

The Minority SafePack initiative, launched by the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), aims to collect at least one million signatures in seven countries before April 3rd to ensure the EU focuses on minorities throughout the bloc

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To historian in Le Monde: Excuse my French, but that’s baloney

Dec 15, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

The key to a peaceful Europe, as the founding fathers have realized, is that ethnic minorities of Europe are respected and their fundamental rights protected. Those who dismiss the rights of Europe’s ethnic minorities risk fueling a trend that has caused Europe some of its worst nightmares and terrible armed conflicts.

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Hungary's FM: OSCE should deploy observers to Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region

Dec 08, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that Hungary was concerned about Ukraine’s new education law, which curbs the rights of ethnic minorities to education in their mother tongue

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Helping Ukraine remain on the path toward Europe

Nov 03, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

In his blog post entitled, “Hungarian Leader Should Stop Meddling in Ukrainian Politics,” a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Mike Gonzalez, misunderstands why Hungary has become an outspoken critic of the new Ukrainian education law that limits minority rights

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Ethnic Hungarians: a nation in a united Europe

Nov 02, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

As a result of wars and the re-drawing of borders that have taken place in recent centuries, today’s borders in Europe rarely correspond to the physical location of the continent’s national groups. About one third of the 15 million-strong, ethnic Hungarian community, lives outside the borders of Hungary, mostly in the Carpathian Basin. These Hungarian communities, just as much as any other European national minorities, have the right to maintain their thousand year-old culture in the European Union.

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Hungary vetoes upcoming NATO-Ukraine summit

Oct 30, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said it’s impossible to support the country’s bid to join the alliance after Ukraine passed its new education law “brutally mutilating” minority rights

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OSCE throws its support behind Hungary in relation to Ukraine's education law

Oct 25, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the OSCE is the most willing to help from among the international organizations contacted by Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian and Greek diplomats

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Ukraine's education law "fails to strike a balance" between their official language and those of minorities, says PACE

Oct 13, 2017

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said that Ukraine's new education law is not conducive to “living together” and expressed its concerns over the articles relating to education in minority languages in the recently passed act

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Hungary's foreign minister personally travels to Ukraine to discuss the country's new education law

Oct 10, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that he regards the amendment of Ukraine’s Education Act as “outrageous and unacceptable”

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PM Orbán: Policy on Hungarian communities beyond the borders must help lower and middle classes

Oct 06, 2017

PM Orbán said that members of the highly-qualified intellectual classes with solid family backgrounds are already succeeding in finding their own path as Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin. “Particular attention should be paid to lower and mid-level groups, however," he said

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Hungary and Romania join forces to fight Ukraine's new education law

Oct 03, 2017

There are more than half a million Hungarians and Romanians living in Ukraine. Hungary's FM noted that this explains why Hungary and Romania are acting together on the matter

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Hungary continues its fight over Ukraine's controversial education law

Sep 29, 2017

Hungary’s foreign minister has said that the government will fight to get Ukraine’s new education law repealed and its language and citizenship bills withdrawn

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Want to belong to Europe? Act like it!

Sep 29, 2017 - Zoltán Kovács

In the European Union, we don’t take away the rights of children of historic minorities. Ukraine, by doing so, is taking a detour from its path into the EU and turning its back on European neighbors who stood by them in some of the most difficult times. Ukraine has brought this upon itself, and the consequences of this decision on the education law will be painful.

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Hungary will block and veto Ukraine's EU integration as education law maltreating minorities is signed

Sep 26, 2017

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the President has just signed a law which deprives minorities of their rights and leads down a blind alley instead on the path to the European Union

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Government will do everything it can to protect Hungarian interests

Sep 22, 2017

Hungary regards Ukraine's education law as a stab in the back, and Hungary has taken action against Croatia’s OECD membership due to "the violation of economic interests," János Lázár said

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Hungarian Parliament calls for measures to be taken against Ukraine's education law impacting minorities

Sep 21, 2017

Hungarian lawmakers have unanimously passed a five-party decree condemning “the unlawful Ukrainian education law” and urging measures to be taken against it

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Hungary says EU must take action over Ukraine's new education law affecting minorities

Sep 12, 2017

Katalin Szili, the prime minister’s Special Appointee, said that the EU must intervene and contact the Ukrainian leadership regarding the matter