EU ministers expand Ukraine-related visa ban

Brussels, November 17 (MTI) – Foreign ministers of the European Union on Monday agreed on extending the community’s entry ban to further separatists in Ukraine, the list of actual names to be finalised before the end of November.

Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting that the agreements were in line with Hungary’s interests. Hungary is interested in finding an early solution through negotiations, and wants to see a politically and economically sustainable, stable neighbour, he said.

Participants in the meeting agreed that a dialogue should be maintained with all parties, that the EU should give a clear response to the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and that substantive structural reforms should be implemented in that country, Szijjarto said.

The European ministers declared that they did not recognise the Russian annexation of the Crimea, Szijjarto said.

“We deemed it necessary to adopt a timeframe for the reforms and urged that Ukraine’s new government be set up as soon as possible,” Szijjarto said. He added that at Hungary’s initiative, the proposed reforms include decentralisation and enforcement of minority rights.

At the meeting, Szijjarto also said that the Hungary-Slovakia interconnector would reopen the possibility of Hungary’s supplying Ukraine with natural gas from countries other than Russia.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters